French parcel locker company Pickup (a subsidiary of La Poste Group) has launched parcel lockers powered by solar energy.
Pickup’s president, Maxime d’Hauteville says creating autonomous energy lockers with solar panels helps businesses carry out their energy transition. This is being done to participate in the common effort in favor of more virtuous and responsible consumption.
“This solution also offers a significant benefit to our relay partners by eliminating the time and cost of connection work, as well as the price of electricity linked to the operation of the lockers,” says d’Hauteville.
Pickup has an urban logistics solution
The company operates France’s leading relay network with 17,000 collection points and 2,000 lockers. Serviced daily by transport operators like Colissimo, Chronopost, and DPD France, Pickup collaborates with over 90,000 e-retailers, including Vinted, Amazon, and Zalando.
Internationally, Pickup extends to 30 countries with over 100,000 points through La Poste Group’s network, Europe’s number-one parcel delivery network.
Parcel lockers are a way to convenience
The idea of parcel lockers has become popular in many parts of the world. In the UK, supermarket chain Aldi is trialing parcel lockers outside selected stores. The initiative is in partnership with InPost, which has over 6,000 parcel lockers in various areas.
Logistics giant DHL recently announced that it would be adding about 1,000 parcel lockers to its Swedish network.
Pickup plans to install solar-powered lockers, accessible 24/7, at all partners with outdoor spaces, including retailers and service stations across France. Since last September, nearly 250 of these lockers have been installed, to deploy over 1,000 by the end of 2024. By 2026, Pickup aims for solar panels to cover half its locker fleet.
Benefits of parcel lockers
Cost efficiency: Operating parcel lockers can be more cost-effective than home delivery. They reduce the need for multiple delivery attempts if recipients are not home, saving fuel and labor costs.
24/7 accessibility: Parcel lockers provide customers with the flexibility to pick up their packages at any time, which is more convenient for the customer and reduces the logistical burden on delivery services during peak hours.
Reduced last-mile delivery challenges: The last mile of delivery is the most expensive and complex logistics chain. Parcel lockers help minimize these issues by centralizing deliveries to convenient locations.
French parcel courier, express, and parcel market
Mordor Intelligence reports the French parcel courier, express, and parcel market is expected to experience good growth in the next six years. The e-commerce sector is driving growth in the market.
“The number of e-commerce users in France is expected to reach 51.5 million by 2025. E-commerce sales for the fashion industry are expected to account for one-third of the total apparel sales in France by 2025, making it one of the largest e-commerce markets in France,” reads the report.
ALSO READ: Royal Mail partners with Quadient for locker network in the UK
Photo Credit: Pickup
About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
