Bpost hopes to ‘reinvent urban parcel logistics’ with bbox boutiques
Post company Bpost has opened its first bbox boutiques, a 24/7 hub for parcel deliveries available to consumers, retailers, local communities and logistics services.
The first four boutiques, two in Brussels and two in Antwerp, are in addition to the current network of 4,000 collection points. Further sites will follow in other cities. The company aims to meet the growing demand for “out of home” deliveries and provide a central collection location with more than 300 lockers.
“It’s a place where we test, learn and develop new services that we can then scale up,” said bpost spokesperson Laurens Himpe. “In our cities we face the greatest demand but limited space. It’s the perfect place to innovate.”
Customers will be able to use the stores to send and receive parcels, while retailers can use them to launch promotions or e-commerce campaigns. Parcels and items can also be sent without labels and packaging.
Local businesses can deliver parcels to a customer outside opening hours through a “click and collect” system. Buyers who missed a delivery can fetch their parcel the same day.
"In our cities we face the greatest demand but limited space. It’s the perfect place to innovate"
Via the “microwarehousing” system, e-commerce companies can quickly and efficiently put their parcels in the boutique. This can also be done at night. The lockers are freely accessible from 6:00-9:00, and can be accessed using a QR outside those hours.
According to bpost group CEO Chris Peeters, the sites are a step towards more efficient deliveries. “We combine our logistics expertise with innovation so that consumers and merchants have solutions that really respond to their needs.”
The first four boutiques are in Rue Haute and Rue Tenbosch in Brussels, and Volkstraat and Tabakvest in Antwerp.
© BELGA PHOTO / VIDEO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
Related news
