Delivery giant Evri has reported its “best-ever” Christmas and peak trading period, delivering a record-breaking 173 million parcels in the nine weeks to 28 December 2024 – a 12% increase on the previous year.
The company, formerly Hermes, also recorded its biggest individual trading week, handling 24.7 million parcels in the week following Black Friday as shoppers snapped up bargains during what the business termed “thrift-mas.”
On its busiest day, 4 December, Evri delivered nearly 3.8 million parcels, averaging 2.7 million deliveries per day during the festive period.
To prepare for the peak period, the firm recruited 9,000 additional couriers and 1,000 employees across other parts of the business.
The company also enhanced customer service, offering improved contact options and new delivery preferences for customers with accessibility needs.
During the key festive period, Evri said domestic parcel volumes rose by 6.9%, while overseas inbound trade surged by 24%, driven by demand for value-oriented online shopping.
Evri CEO Martijn De Lange said: “We continue to see fast growth towards our five-year target to become a billion parcel a year business and the Christmas trading period was no exception with our delivery volumes demonstrating that retailers online offerings fared much better than expected.
“We saw record volumes of deliveries and double digit growth as generous shoppers treated loved ones and friends.
“During a festive season that saw approximately 40 million UK adults doing most of their Christmas shopping online, the investments in our network and customer service paid off – sustaining our yearly average of more than 99% of standard parcels being delivered on time.”
