Leeds-based Evri, one of the UK’s largest parcel delivery companies, on Monday announced plans to recruit 8,000 additional couriers alongside 1,000 warehouse and other supporting workers this year.
Evri said its total self-employed courier workforce will hit 28,000 as it delivers around 4 million parcels during its busiest days.
Last week, New York private equity firm Apollo announced that Apollo-managed funds entered into a definitive agreement with Advent International to acquire Evri.
Financial terms were not disclosed but the deal is thought to be worth about £2.7 billion.
“The recruitment drive marks the growth of online deliveries, with parcel volumes outstripping the Covid years off the back of sales from successful home-grown high street retailers, fast-growing new entrants and pre-loved platforms,” said Evri.
“Evri’s roots can be traced back 50 years to Bradford in 1974 as Grattan Mail Order. Evri now delivers 730 million parcels each year, serving 12 million customers a week via a growing network of self-employed couriers, five hubs, 27 depots and 550 delivery units.”
Evri CEO Martijn De Lange said: “We know that service, reliability and quality are critical factors for our clients and consumers.
“We have an industry-leading 99% on-time delivery rate and our couriers have received more than 3 million 5-star reviews on Trustpilot and customers using our own app rate their courier 4.7 out of 5 on average.
“New client wins, and increased parcel volumes are proof of the trust customers have in our service and biggest-ever recruitment drive promises to deliver another record year.
“Evri is also on the way to be the most sustainable parcel delivery company by building the largest sustainable fleet of e-cargo bikes, with more bikes than ever on the road in 2024, as we move towards our goal of becoming net-zero by 2035.”
Evri added: “Last year, Evri delivered a record performance over its peak festive period, when it grew parcel volumes to more than 154 million over the nine weeks to 30 December 2023. This included a delivery blitz in the final seven days after cautious shoppers waited for discounts before purchasing.
“Across the country, 8,000 couriers are needed this year, exceeding the 5,000 for last Christmas, with Scotland, Bury St Edmunds, Plymouth and Gatwick key areas for hiring. Couriers can apply easily by attending an introductory call with the local Community Delivery Manager, and then begin training. Evri will begin training and onboarding new couriers from August.
“Today, couriers typically earn around £16.50 per hour and can enjoy the flexibility of delivering parcels any time between 8am and 8pm. Couriers will often be delivering in their local area, within familiar surroundings and usually not too far from home to accommodate their other commitments.
“The parcel delivery company has enhanced its courier package and has recently partnered with Onsi to give all self-employed couriers, both new and existing, access to new benefits including Digital GP, mental health support, discounts at supermarkets and on fuel. This is additional to their existing benefits scheme and is completely free of charge.”