Royal Mail introduces self-service kiosks and longer opening hours

30 September 2025 , 16:02

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Royal Mail’s owner has acquired a multi-million pound stake in another company, leading to thousands of convenience stores being rebranded.

International Distribution Services (IDS), the company that owns the postal service, has purchased 49 percent of the shares in the parcel company Collect+, as part of a deal which means about 8,000 stores will now carry the Royal Mail brand.

This will allow high street stores to offer over-the-counter postal services and enable customers to pay bills in person rather than solely online.

The £43.9 million deal will also introduce self-service kiosks in certain shops next year, extend store hours to include weekends and evenings, and retain Collect+’s usual operations, which include handling parcels from other carriers.

Additionally, Royal Mail announced plans to hire roughly 20,000 temporary workers to enhance delivery operations during the Christmas season.

The new positions will be distributed across two parcel hubs, four seasonal parcel sorting centres, and 37 mail centres nationwide.

This initiative aims to help Royal Mail manage increased seasonal demand, covering key shopping events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the typical pre-Christmas shopping and shipping.

Specifically, 12,000 mail center sorting roles will be available in England, with an additional 2,000 in Scotland, 600 in Wales, and 400 in Northern Ireland. Royal Mail will also recruit for 3,000 delivery and collection roles across the UK, along with 2,000 temporary HGV and MGV driver positions.

Royal Mail will set up four additional seasonal sorting centers in Atherstone, Milton Keynes, Northampton, and Daventry to assist with fulfilling deliveries.

Collect+, which operates a network of over 14,000 locations including newsagents, convenience stores, supermarkets, and petrol stations, was acquired by PayPoint in 2020.

PayPoint stated that IDS’s investment values the business at £90 million and positions it for future growth.

IDS’s investment in the parcel network comes after its decision to scale back letter deliveries.

Royal Mail is anticipated to discontinue second-class letter deliveries on Saturdays and switch the service to every other weekday across the UK starting in July next year.

IDS was purchased by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group for £3.6 billion earlier this year, following government clearance, marking the first time the 500-year-old Royal Mail has entered foreign ownership.

Mr. Kretinsky committed to securing the long-term future of the postal service and offering it a “fresh start,” particularly by focusing on meeting the rising demand for parcel services.

Alistair Cochrane, Royal Mail’s chief executive, stated: “The launch of the Royal Mail Shop brand creates a new and improved high street destination for all of our customers’ parcel needs in one location.

“This investment is one of the ways we’re making Royal Mail more convenient.”