As part of the company’s £200m investment to expand its next-day parcel capacity in the UK, the new jobs will include delivery and HGV drivers, warehouse staff, management positions and support staff, including mechanics.

DPD says that since the pandemic began, it has been handling parcel volumes more akin to the festive seasonal peak than this time of year. For example, volumes over Easter were double last year’s.

DPD’s CEO Dwain McDonald said: “We are experiencing the biggest boom in online retailing in the UK’s history and we are making this unprecedented investment in our infrastructure and people to ensure we can continue to meet the high levels of demand for our services.”

McDonald continued: “DPD has been one of the fastest growing major companies in the UK in the last 10 years, due to the growth in e-commerce. But what we have seen in recent months is potentially a much more significant shift in behaviour, and we believe elements of it will be permanent.”

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