Royal Mail trials seven-day parcel delivery

Royal Mail is starting a trial of Sunday parcel deliveries for major retailers to tap into the online shopping boom.

The company said the trial would open the door to parcel deliveries seven days a week, the BBC reported.

Parcel deliveries at Royal Mail have soared during the Covid-19 crisis, outstripping letters for the first time. Royal Mail said consumers now expected to receive their parcels as soon as possible after ordering.

Competitors such as DPD and Hermes already deliver on Sunday for Amazon and major retailers. Royal Mail said a number of unidentified retail brands were testing its service.

Royal Mail piloted Sunday deliveries in 2014 but did not go ahead with the service. Since then online shopping has surged and customers expect seven-day delivery, the company said.

Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: "The last year has reset so many customer expectations and the desire for even more convenient and even more frequent parcel deliveries has certainly been one of them."

Royal Mail increased its guidance for annual profit on Wednesday after letter volumes beat expectations and parcel deliveries stayed strong.