Competitor Watch

Hermes UK has introduced ‘MyPlaces’ to support contactless delivery and improve deliveries for customers who are not in.

Customers can choose a preferred safe place at their home address and upload a picture to guide the courier.

Information can be amended at any time and a note added to provide clarity and real-time communication.

Hermes chief information officer, Chris Ashworth, said ‘MyPlaces is the latest innovation from Hermes designed to promote delivery accuracy and give consumers more choice and control over their deliveries, whilst ensuring that safety remains a key priority.

‘It is particularly useful for customers with addresses that are hard to find both in busy cities but also rural locations.’

Features to be rolled out later this year include using What3Words to set an exact location, adding PIN codes to access property, and setting a preferred ParcelShop & Locker location.

Planned further upgrades include adding waypoints and providing the courier with a platform to ask for further instructions if any delivery is complex.

MyPlaces is accessible through the Hermes app and Hermes retail clients are using the service to improve deliveries for customers. Hermes has released a video to demonstrate the service.

Hermes UK is also preparing to open 10 new depots in response to continued growing demand for online shopping since lockdown began.

Totalling 564,166 sq ft of warehouse and distribution space, the 10 locations include a 75,719 sq ft new depot in Nottingham, which will create 100 jobs.

Leeds-based Hermes delivers more than 400 million parcels a year, working alongside major retail brands including Next, ASOS and John Lewis.

Hermes director of operations – planning & development, Ashley Walker, said: ‘The pandemic has accelerated the shift from high street to online shopping, so our business needs to be extremely agile and have the ability to swiftly scale up when demand is high.

‘Additional depots allow us to continue operating safely and to support our clients, so we can meet demand from the end consumer.’