Its chief executive, Nick Read, said: “We are fundamentally transforming Post Office by introducing new mails carriers for over-the-counter sales for the first time in our 360-year history. The company said it planned to enter partnerships with even more delivery carriers in the future. The Post Office already offers alternatives to Royal Mail online but has never yet done so in branches. Evri, previously known as Hermes, has been rated the worst parcel delivery firm in polls by the MoneySavingExpert website and Citizens Advice, with customers complaining of poor service. While Royal Mail’s quality of service has come under scrutiny, the Post Office’s new parcel partners are not immune to criticism themselves. In a press release on Tuesday, it said 48% of people who send parcels would like to be able to shop around for another provider. However, the Post Office is understood to have lost patience with Royal Mail after surveying customers, who raised fears that included parcels getting lost or arriving late, particularly at Christmas. The company has previously said that its performance is improving, pointing to the strain on its resources caused by record levels of parcel deliveries during the coronavirus pandemic, combined with staff sickness. It was also hit by strikes during the peak trading period in November and December last year, when its delivery woes were exacerbated by poor weather. Royal Mail has come under fire for poor performance and is under investigation by the communications regulator Ofcom after missing delivery targets in 2022-23.

While the Post Office manages the network of 11,500 branches and banking services, Royal Mail is responsible for delivery, where it faces increasing competition from courier companies. The two companies were part of the same group until 2012, when the Post Office was split out into a separate business, as part of the privatisation of Royal Mail led by the then business secretary, Vince Cable. Industry sources said the decision was the result of increasing dissatisfaction at the Post Office with Royal Mail because of customers complaining about the standard of service.

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