Irish parcel carrier Nightline has said it expects to move 50% more parcels this Christmas than last year, despite a slow start to the season.

The company expects to process  1.3m parcels in the two weeks leading up to Christmas, and CEO John Tuohy has warned that parcel carriers may see their busiest period much later than in previous years.

A spokesman said Nightline delivered just over 1m parcels between the end of November and Christmas in 2012.

“We believe that the single biggest peak in parcel volumes is likely to occur just over a week before 25 December with online shopping being the major factor,” he said.

“It appears that people have become so accustomed to e-commerce and so confident about the prospects of receiving their purchases in time for Christmas that they are leaving their shopping later than before.”

The company, which recently restructured its network, has just opened a third Dublin site, as well moving to a larger, 54,000ft² site in Galway.

It also plans to move into another depot in Athlone, Co. Westmeath, which is to become operational next year.

Nightline also operates out of a site in Chorley, Lancashire.

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