Friday 5 Jun 2015
Doddle opens 35th store in 35 weeks at Paddington station
- Region & Route:
- National
Doddle, the purple network of parcel stores, has opened its 35th store in the space of 35 weeks. The new store is located on Platform 12 at Network Rai’s London Paddington station, one of Britain’s busiest with 17.4 million visitors annually[1].
Doddle, a joint venture between entrepreneur Lloyd Dorfman and Network Rail, was launched in 2014 and has rapidly grown its network of parcel stores in the UK. It’s the only service of its kind to accept delivery of shoppers’ online purchases from any retailer or carrier.
Over thirty thousand people have already signed up to the service which enables customers to collect parcels and return unsuitable purchases in under two minutes, helping shoppers avoid the dreaded ‘while you were out’ slip. In addition the service means no more Saturday mornings spent queuing at a busy sorting office and is a convenient way to send parcels world-wide.
The Paddington station store is part of a rapid Doddle store roll out programme which will see 100 stores open by the end of 2015, and up to 250 new locations by the end of 2017, creating 3,000 new jobs.
Doddle Paddington station is open from 7am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Saturdays, and 11am to 5pm Sundays and bank holidays, ensuring that shoppers are able to time the collection or return of their parcels around their commute and typical working day.
Tim Robinson, CEO at Doddle, said; “Opening a new flagship Doddle store in one of London’s most famous stations is a really exciting moment for us. Missing a delivery is a real pain and costs the industry up to £3/4 billion a year[2], a cost which is inevitably passed onto consumers. We’re looking forward to doing our bit to help make online shopping a doddle by providing a convenient place for commuters and people working and living nearby to receive their deliveries and return unwanted items.”
David Biggs, Network Rail’s managing director of Property said: "More people are travelling by rail than ever before and stations have become more than just a place to wait for, or get off a train. We’ve expanded the quality and quantity of the retail offer at our biggest stations such as Paddington and a new Doddle store is an exciting addition.
"The hundreds of thousands of passengers using Paddington Station every day can now make use of this conveniently located parcel service and any profits we make are reinvested into the railway. “
Doddle currently has retail partnerships in place with a number of retailers including Amazon, Hawes & Curtis, Countrywide Farmers, Warehouse, Halfords and T.M. Lewin, with a number of new partnerships soon to be announced.
To make use of the new Doddle service, shoppers can sign up for free at www.doddle.com
Doddle Paddington is now open at:
Doddle
Unit P-464 Paddington station
Praed Street
London
W2 1DA
<ENDS>
Press contact
Rachel Caton, Doddle
t: 07885 462 187 e: rachel.caton@doddle.com
About Doddle
Doddle makes it quick and easy for customers to collect, return and send their parcels with 35 purple stores located near railway stations across the UK. Launched in 2014, Doddle puts customers back in the control seat, enabling them to choose when and where they receive and return their online purchases. With 250 friendly parcelistas serving customers from early until late, Doddle is making sure customers get their delivery the first time, every time. With stores in handy locations Doddle takes the fuss out of returning unwanted goods and makes it a Doddle to send parcels. Doddle works with all carriers to receive customer parcels and has the capacity to hold 40 000 parcels per day across the Doddle network. To check out Doddle’s growing list of retail partners and store locations visit www.doddle.com
Follow us on Twitter (@doddle), Facebook (facebook.com/doddleit) and Linkedin (linkedin.com/company/doddle-parcels)
[1] According to Network Rail: Station Footfall Report 2013-2014
[2] IMRG http://imrg.org/index.php?catalog=1201
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