Royal Mail’s parent company International Distribution Services (IDC) has succesfully bid to buy Quadient’s UK network of around 3,000 parcel lockers.
The €65m deal will see Royal Mail substantially boost its out-of-home network and throw down the gauntlet to rival locker network operators, including InPost, Amazon Hub Locker and Yeep.
The agreement follows a competitive tender and is part of Quadient’s move to divest itself of much of its global locker network. The transaction is expected to close by the end of this year.
Quadient, which has its headquarters in France, specialises in business communications automation, smart logistics, and mailroom technology. It launched its UK locker network just four years ago, rapidly rolling out thousands of lockers across the country.
Martin Seidenberg, IDS chief executive, hailed the deal as “an exciting step forward” for the business and part of its drive to expand and strengthen Royal Mail’s out-of-home network.
He added: “Once complete, the acquisition will bring additional scale, customer volume and an experienced team into our network, as well as a strong pipeline of future locations.
“We look forward to welcoming our new Quadient colleagues in time and working together to further expand our network for customers across the UK.”
Royal Mail currently operates 1,900 proprietary red and grey parcel lockers located at supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s and Tesco, and at petrol stations across the UK.
Quadient said its directors had concluded that IDS’ offer “delivered the best value for the UK open network”.
The company added that its UK network was a “natural strategic fit” for IDS, providing direct access to an established network of lockers located at high-footfall sites, as well as “strong carrier partnerships, a growing customer and host pipeline, and the successful team behind it.”
Geoffrey Godet, Quadient chief executive, said the deal was a “significant milestone” for Quadient.
He said that the sale to IDS “demonstrates the high value created by our teams.
“We will now apply the same disciplined, value-focused approach to the sale process we have launched for the rest of the Lockers business, while continuing to operate as usual and support our customers.
“Looking ahead, Quadient is focused on capturing the growth opportunity created by the needs of businesses for highly automated, AI-driven digital solutions, and by the transition to mandatory e-invoicing in Europe.”
Quadient’s smaller European private locker network will be retained and managed by the company’s Mail business.
