A Dutch supermarket chain, online marketplace and parcel locker company are working together to roll out a parcel locker network in the Netherlands and Belgium. Albert Heijn, bol.com and Budbee are planning 700 such units across the two countries.
The Budbee parcel lockers will be placed outside the Albert Heijn supermarkets and will replace the bol.com pick-up points in the stores, now giving 24/7 access to goods brought from the marketplace.
At the same time, parcels sent to Dutch parcel lockers will be delivered by zero tailpipe-emissions vehicles to reduce emissions in the final mile delivery. Each parcel locker can take between 37 and 258 parcels, further reducing the delivery round miles that the Budbee vehicles will have to travel.
Currently there are just 15 units installed but this will grow to 700 over the next two years. Marit van Egmond, CEO Albert Heijn: “Customers are increasingly experiencing the convenience of digitalization. We see this in the use of self-scan and the AH app, which brings everything together digitally. In addition, the introduction of parcel lockers makes it even easier for customers to pick up or return a parcel. I am proud of the cooperation with bol.com and Budbee. Together we create synergy and further implement our omnichannel strategy.”
Jørgen Höppener, General Manager Benelux at Budbee: “At Budbee, we are continuously looking for new opportunities to make the e-commerce sector greener and more customer-friendly. Therefore, we are very proud to launch this in-store solution with such great Dutch partners. Combined with our technology, we are making sustainable online shopping available to an even larger group of people.”
Vincent Weijers – COO bol.com: “Everyday customers order many items from bol.com. Of course, we want to deliver those tens of thousands of orders per day to our customers quickly, efficiently, and as sustainably as possible. With this flexible, smart, and scalable innovation, we have the ambition to increase the convenience and service for our customers and to further make the delivery of our parcels sustainable.”
