Royal Mail to introduce 3,500 parcel-friendly ‘postboxes of the future’

Royal Mail is rolling out 3,500 solar-powered “postboxes of the future” across the UK, featuring a digitally-activated drop-down drawer so customers can send parcels as large as a shoebox.

The new design – the biggest change to the postbox in its 175-year history – was trialled in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire earlier this year, and will now be installed in cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Sunderland.

Customers scan a barcode on the Royal Mail app to open the drawer, which is designed for parcels too large to fit through the traditional slot.

The redesigned boxes also feature a separate slot for letters, as well as a solar panel to power the scanner and drawer mechanism.

Proof of posting and parcel tracking is available through the Royal Mail app, with the new service aimed at those sending or returning items purchased online.

Jack Clarkson, managing director of out of home and commercial excellence at Royal Mail, said: “We are all sending and returning more parcels than ever before.

“This trend will only continue as online shopping shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the boom of second-hand marketplaces.

“There are 115,000 postboxes in the UK located within half a mile of 98% of addresses, making them by far the most convenient network of parcel drop-off points in the UK.

“Our message is clear, if you have a Royal Mail label on your parcel, and it fits, put it in a postbox and we’ll do the rest.”

Royal Mail said the rollout is part of its drive to make posting, collecting and returning parcels as convenient as possible.

Alongside its home delivery and collection services, the company said there are now more than 23,500 parcel points across the UK, including lockers, Collect+ stores, Post Office branches, Royal Mail customer service points and existing parcel postboxes.