# Parcelforce > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Parcelforce > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Parcelforce.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parcelforce > Source revision: 1345275041 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Courier and logistics service in the United Kingdom Parcelforce Worldwide Type Trading name Industry Postal Service Key people Aaron Barnes (Managing Director) Number of employees 6,500 Parent Royal Mail A Parcelforce delivery vehicle in 2009 Loading a Parcelforce van in [Chipping Barnet](/source/Chipping_Barnet), 2015 Nose of a [Vickers Viscount 806](/source/Vickers_Viscount) G-OPAS formerly used for Parcelforce International **Parcelforce Worldwide** is a [courier](/source/Courier) and [logistics](/source/Logistics) service in the United Kingdom. Parcelforce Worldwide is a trading name of [Royal Mail](/source/Royal_Mail), which is a subsidiary of [International Distribution Services](/source/International_Distribution_Services),[1] and is organised within the UK Parcels, International and Letters division of the group.[2] The company delivers to destinations worldwide, using an international partner network. Parcelforce Worldwide is a provider of express delivery services covering 99.6% of the world's population, with over 6,500 employees.[3] Its European delivery partner, [General Logistics Systems](/source/General_Logistics_Systems) (GLS), is also a subsidiary of International Distribution Services and delivers more than one million parcels a day across 34 countries in Europe.[4] Parcelforce Worldwide is a direct competitor of other worldwide delivery brands, such as [DHL](/source/DHL_Express), [DX Group](/source/DX_Group), [FedEx](/source/FedEx) and [UPS](/source/United_Parcel_Service). Parcelforce Limited operates a "[hub and spoke](/source/Spoke-hub_distribution_paradigm)" collection and delivery system with two hubs in the West Midlands, south of [Coventry](/source/Coventry). One hub is for parcels for the United Kingdom, and the other for international parcels. The hub for the United Kingdom, one of the country's largest buildings, is a highly automated tracking and sorting centre covering 24,000 square metres (5.9 acres) and can handle up to 58,500 parcels an hour.[5] ## History The Parcel Post service of Royal Mail was started in 1883,[6] though parcel services operated by the railway companies, later [Red Star Parcels](/source/Red_Star_Parcels) and [British Road Services](/source/British_Road_Services), were also heavily used for many decades. Royal Mail was split into three divisions in 1986[6] and in March 1990, **Royal Mail Parcels** was rebranded as **Parcelforce**. In July 1992, the [Secretary of State for Trade and Industry](/source/Secretary_of_State_for_Trade_and_Industry), [Michael Heseltine](/source/Michael_Heseltine), proposed a privatisation of the Parcelforce business. He argued that the company provided most of its services to businesses rather than individuals, and that the competitive market it operated in meant there was no need for it to remain a [publicly owned company](/source/Publicly_owned_company).[7] In March 2002, the universal parcels service was transferred to [Royal Mail](/source/Royal_Mail), leaving Parcelforce to concentrate on time-guaranteed, next-day and two-day express deliveries.[8] In January 2007, Parcelforce Worldwide became the first express carrier in the United Kingdom to give its customers the option to [offset the carbon emissions](/source/Carbon_offset) associated with the delivery of their parcels. The company allowed customers to donate 5p for a delivery for the United Kingdom, or 10p for an international delivery to the [Woodland Trust](/source/Woodland_Trust). Parcelforce would then match the donation.[9] In October 2012, Royal Mail announced an investment of £75 million in Parcelforce Worldwide planned over four years, which would involve the opening of new processing centres in [Chorley, Lancashire](/source/Chorley%2C_Lancashire) and depots in [Basingstoke, Hampshire](/source/Basingstoke%2C_Hampshire) and [Bodmin, Cornwall](/source/Bodmin%2C_Cornwall).[10] In September 2021, Aaron Barnes took over as managing director of Parcelforce Worldwide.[11] ## Depot network Parcelforce Worldwide operates its collection and delivery services via a network of 54 local depots.[5] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Our company"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130327005228/http://www.parcelforce.com/help-information/about-us/our-company). *Parcelforce Worldwide*. 2013. Archived from [the original](http://www.parcelforce.com/help-information/about-us/our-company) on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Parcelforce Worldwide"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120617032533/http://www.royalmailgroup.com/our-businesses/ukpil/parcelforce-worldwide). *Royal Mail*. 2013. Archived from [the original](http://www.royalmailgroup.com/our-businesses/ukpil/parcelforce-worldwide) on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["About Parcelforce Worldwide"](https://www.parcelforce.com/about-parcelforce-worldwide). *Parcelforce Worldwide*. 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Our Partners"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130317092146/http://www.parcelforce.com/help-information/about-us/our-partners). *Parcelforce Worldwide*. 2013. Archived from [the original](http://www.parcelforce.com/help-information/about-us/our-partners) on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hubs_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hubs_5-1) ["Our hubs"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130317082614/http://www.parcelforce.com/help-information/about-us/our-hubs). *Parcelforce Worldwide*. 2013. Archived from [the original](http://www.parcelforce.com/help-information/about-us/our-hubs) on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-postalheritage.org.uk_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-postalheritage.org.uk_6-1) ["Key Dates"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110517212232/http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/history/keydates). *The British Postal Museum & Archive*. Archived from [the original](http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/history/keydates/) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Michael Heseltine](/source/Michael_Heseltine), The President of the Board of Trade and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (15 July 1992). ["Parcelforce"](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199293/cmhansrd/1992-07-15/Debate-1.html). *[Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)](/source/Hansard)*. House of Commons. col. 1137. Retrieved 14 April 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Consignia announces first moves in three year renewal plan"](http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=82484). *PR Newswire*. 25 March 2002. Retrieved 5 January 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Farey-Jones, Daniel (9 January 2007). ["Parcelforce introduces carbon neutral delivery scheme"](http://www.brandrepublic.com/article/624866). *[Brand Republic](/source/Brand_Republic)*. Retrieved 14 April 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Royal Mail to create 1,000 jobs expanding parcel network"](http://postandparcel.info/51487/news/companies/royal-mail-to-create-1000-jobs-expanding-parcel-network/). *Post & Parcel*. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Parcelforce Worldwide on Twitter: "@CEOemail Hi, our new appointed MD is Aaron Barnes - Theo" / Twitter"](https://twitter.com/parcelforce/status/1437767768770813952). *Twitter*. 14 September 2021. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210914214139/https://twitter.com/parcelforce/status/1437767768770813952) from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2022. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Parcel Force](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Parcel_Force). - [Official website](http://www.parcelforce.com) v t e Postal services in the United Kingdom Postal geography Postcodes List of postcode areas List of postcode districts Postal counties Post town List of post towns London postal district Postcode Address File Mailsort Organisations British Forces Post Office Collect+ DHL DPD DX Evri FedEx InPost Parcelforce Post Office Royal Mail UK Mail UPS Whistl Yodel Philately Postage stamps and postal history Infrastructure Mail centres Integrated mail processing Intelligent Letter Sorting Machines Law enforcement Royal Mail Group Security British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies have different operators and regulatory arrangements. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Parcelforce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parcelforce) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parcelforce?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.