DPD and Hermes discontinue operation of their joint venture ParcelLock

For strategic reasons the management of DPD Deutschland and Hermes Germany have decided not to continue the activities of ParcelLock, a company specialising in IT solutions for locker systems. The operational activities of the ParcelLock joint venture will be gradually scaled back and terminated in the course of this year. In future both companies intend to push ahead with alternative solutions in the field of parcel lockers.

The universally usable locking system ParcelLock, a joint venture by the parcel services DPD and Hermes, was officially launched on the market in 2016. Since then the locker systems, which are accessible across service providers, have been integrated into apartment buildings and individual houses or, for example, tested at public transport stops in the course of the HamburgBox pilot project, which will expire at the end of February 2022. All in all, various use cases were tested and a wide range of findings in the locker field were collected.

The conclusion was that the basic idea of a system open to various service providers was perceived as consumer-friendly by users, as the facility offers the possibility of using the services of both online and bricks-and-mortar retailers in equal measure, and is not limited to a single transport service provider. At the same time, both the user numbers and the market development of the ParcelLock project fell short of overall expectations. To the present day the development of the provider-neutral ParcelLock system, in which the joint venture was dependent on cooperating manufacturers and distribution partners, has not yet resulted in sufficient coverage.

The two shareholders each hold a 50 percent share in the ParcelLock technology company. These holdings will be wound up in the course of the current liquidation process and the associated closure of ParcelLock GmbH. The upcoming liquidation period will be managed in partnership. We would like to thank the employees of ParcelLock GmbH, who have contributed their expertise, professional work and commitment over the past few years.