Parcelforce Worldwide expanding cross-border returns service

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Royal Mail’s express parcels business, Parcelforce Worldwide, is extending its Global Priority Return service to 10 more countries in Europe.

The service for UK e-commerce merchants selling to customers abroad offers a free route for consumers to send back their unwanted items, supported by full end to end tracking capabilities.

Parcelforce already provides the service for consumers in seven European countries — Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia.

It is now be adding the Republic of Ireland, Spain, Finland, Malta, Austria, Lithuania, Italy, Greece and Poland.

The service uses national postal services in the country of origin, with consumers able to drop off items at nearly 70,000 post offices or drop-off points across Europe.

Expansion

Royal Mail said the expansion of the Global Priority Return service was part of Parcelforce Worldwide’s broader expansion programme, which included the opening of a new parcel processing centre in Chorley, Lancashire, last year along with 10 new depots.

The company said it is developing services to meet the changing demands of businesses, online retailers and their customers.

Gary Simpson, managing director of Parcelforce Worldwide, said: “Parcelforce Worldwide provides that important link between online retailers and shoppers both in the UK and across the globe. Global Priority Return provides international shoppers with an improved returns experience increasing confidence to buy from UK retailers.”

Parcelforce handles about 71m items each year, about 7% of Royal Mail’s UK parcel volumes. The company began a £75m, four-year investment programme in 2012 seeking to expand its position in the UK express parcels market through additional capacity and automation.

Online retail industry association IMRG said earlier this year that about 17.5% of all orders from British e-commerce merchants are now from consumers living outside the UK.

Cross-border parcel orders are also of higher value on average than those delivered within the UK.