Sandwell-headquartered parcel delivery giant DPD has plans to create 6,000 jobs in the UK this year. The job creation is part of a £200m investment to expand its capacity in response to the boom in online shopping caused by Covid-19.

DPD plans to expand its next-day parcel capacity, spending £100m on vehicles, £60m on 15 new regional depots – which is ten more than originally planned in 2020 – and the remainder on technology.

The Queen’s Award-winning parcel delivery company is forecasting growth to continue this year even with shops re-opening as people continue to rely online deliveries for a greater proportion of their shopping, including food and drink.

The new jobs being created by the expansion will include delivery and HGV drivers, warehouse staff, management positions and support staff, including mechanics.

DPD has experienced rapid growth over the last ten years due to the expansion of the e-commerce sector but the recent demand for services has been unprecedented and the company believes the growth will continue despite a recovery by high stores.

The latest investment will ensure that the company can continue to meet the high levels of demand and the new infrastructure and recruitment will be in place before Black Friday, which is predicted to be the busiest online shopping weekend in its history.

During lockdown DPD has been negotiating parcel volumes more akin to the festive seasonal peak than the norm for this time of year, while also adapting to social distancing and contactless deliveries.

The greater reliance on online shopping looks like it’s going to be the new normal so DPD plans to step up and continue delivering a market leading service from its headquarters in Smethwick.

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