UPS will start delivering by default also on Saturdays. In the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Poland, the parcel company will now deliver six days a week. This expansion is necessary because of the strong growth in e-commerce.
For weekend deliveries, UPS used to work with a surcharge. In eight European e-commerce markets, it now offers Saturday delivery at regular rates. This only applies to shipments to one of the 17,000 delivery and collection points UPS works with in Europe, known as UPS Access Point locations.
The new service stems from the huge growth in e-commerce. As consumers started shopping online en masse during the lockdown, e-commerce sales rose by a whopping 62.4 per cent in April.
Tim Helsen, managing director of UPS Benelux: "Saturday delivery means that companies shipping with UPS can now deliver to their customers six days a week, meeting increased demand and ensuring a positive delivery experience."
UPS recently invested $2 billion in improving its network in Europe. A €130 million sorting facility was built in Eindhoven and a €12 million sorting centre in Utrecht. The US company says these investments will allow it to deliver more than 80 per cent of the European population within two working days.
