Local media reports that DPD Ireland is to spend €30 million on building a new hub to meet demand for parcel deliveries across the country, following a surge in demand due to the pandemic.

CEO of DPD Ireland Des Travers has said that he is looking at the best potential locations for the new hub that includes a somewhere close to the M50 or in Athlone.

The new hub is set to be built within 18 months and will be the largest ever investment by Groupe La Poste owned DPDgroup in Ireland.

Thanks to the pandemic there was a 47% increase in volumes handled by the carrier last year. This year it expects to handle as many as 22 million parcels this year – up from 17 million in 2020.

“We’ve had 18 months of the most phenomenal growth,” Travers said. “But (the pandemic) has also brought growing pains and difficulties that we had never seen before.”