Bpost sets new record for deliveries in a single day

Belgian postal service Bpost has handled a record number of parcels this week due to the growing popularity of Black Friday and other online sales.

On Tuesday, the carrier service delivered 829,000 parcels to homes or collection points, spokesperson Mathieu Goedefroy said.

The previous record, set during the same period last year, was 813,000 parcels.

The peak in deliveries follows the very popular online sales days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with Saint Nicholas and Christmas approaching.

“We cannot rule out the possibility that the record will be broken again in the coming days,” Goedefroy said.

“The peak in deliveries had already begun in mid-November, but it is now reaching new heights.”

Year after year, Bpost's records for activity in early December are being broken due to the continued growth of e-commerce. In five years, this represents an increase of more than a quarter.

Goedefroy emphasised that Bpost is able to handle this significant flow of parcels.

The postal company is calling on 700 volunteers redeployed from its administrative staff to handle deliveries instead, as well as recruiting a total of 1,500 additional temporary workers (delivery drivers and sorters) and putting 1,000 extra delivery vans into service.

To offset the additional costs and encourage a better distribution of shipments, Bpost charges an extra €1 per parcel between Black Friday and Christmas each year.