December 12 2020

Yodel sees surge in demand for Black Friday food and drink deliveries

UK independent parcel carrier Yodel couriered a record number of food and drinks parcels over Black Friday, with the number of fresh food, wine and drinks deliveries up 86% on 2019.

In the two weeks across Black Friday, Yodel handed more than 800,000 fresh food, wine and drinks parcels. Fresh food parcels increased by 122%, with over 277,000 passing through the Yodel network. Wine and drinks parcels were up 71% to well over half a million.

The surge in demand for food and drink follows the wider pattern of online shopping. A recent report from Kantar shows that lockdown has permanently changed some consumer’s shopping habits with more than six million households buying from a grocer online, the highest number ever recorded.

Mike Hancox, Chief Executive Officer at Yodel , commented: “The weeks across Black Friday are a peak period for us on any year, but this year the intensity has been dramatically increased by the pandemic.

“Consumers, keen to benefit from the advantages of doorstep delivery, have triggered a steep rise in demand for online deliveries – and our order book shows that this is particularly the case for food and drink. We anticipate that this level of demand will be sustained until Christmas as families prepare for their festivities. We’ve been operating at ‘Peak’ levels since March, with volumes up 20% compared to a ‘normal’ year and are forecasting Christmas 2020 to be another 20% on top of that.

“We know that this Christmas will be extra special for those families who have had to spend time apart this year, so we understand the importance of ensuring that delicate goods are handled with care and delivered on time – with the help of our state-of-the-art handling facilities and our specially trained colleagues.”