DPD opens four new depots ahead of Christmas peak

DPD has opened the fourth in its series of new “super depots” ahead of what it expects to be its busiest Christmas peak period to date.

The new depot in Stoke was opened yesterday (16 November), joining new sites in Cardiff, Dagenham, and Exeter, which opened between August and October.

The sites cost a combined £14m, with each site double the size of its regular depots at around 60,000ft² apiece.

Each facility will handle around 25,000 parcels a day, with the capacity for up to 6,000 per hour; four times the capacity of the carrier’s older depots.

The new facilities follow the opening of DPD’s new sorting hub in Hinckley in September, which is thought to be the largest in Europe.

DPD has predicted it will see a 30% increase in its peak activity this year.

Chief executive Dwain McDonald said: “Our new flagship super depots are the largest and most efficient in our network and are the latest demonstration of our commitment to our customers.

“They enable us to expand our capacity, run our service efficiently and maintain our very high service standards. Most importantly they ensure we remain well ahead of demand from our business and retail customers.”

He added: “We're investing in capacity for the future, so these huge depots will be able to continue to grow for the next five years and beyond.”