Market Trends

Lockdown had the unexpected side effect of giving rise to a leap in the number of new companies being formed in the UK, with ecommerce delivery start-ups leading the pack, according to a new study commissioned by Royal Mail. During the lockdown period from March to July 2020, 315,000 companies were incorporated* in the UK – a 7 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2019. In the second quarter of 2020 from…

New report reveals how the app is going from strength to strength with new restaurant and High Street partners Data from Uber Eats has today revealed that orders have grown 150% in the UK*, as it now looks to support the High Street through the remainder of 2020.  This comes as 12,000 new restaurant partners have joined the app since the start of the year, with famous brands including Burger King, Asda, Iceland and Caffe…

Latest research indicates a growing demand to fill positions at all levels and a rise in existing workers seeking new roles The supply chain sector will experience a job market boom over the coming months as over 60 percent of workers in warehouse, logistics and delivery spent time during lockdown searching for a new role, according to latest research. All stages of the supply chain experienced a growing increase in vacancies during September 2020, with…

Online retailers and couriers are experiencing record peak volumes and many are stretched to full capacity. ParcelHero says the worst is yet to come as Christmas 2020 could be 50% busier than last year. It’s urging retailers to work closely with their delivery partners, otherwise a looming driver shortage and strained supply chains will mean Christmas chaos. A capacity crisis is set to cause delivery chaos this Christmas, fears the home delivery expert ParcelHero. This…

UK car production declines -44.6% in August with 51,039 units rolling off factory lines. Ongoing coronavirus crisis stalls efforts to ramp up output with weak demand overseas compounded by heavy domestic losses.  Production so far this year down -40.2% with a loss of 348,821 units worth more than £9.5bn to UK car makers. As pandemic’s second wave engulfs UK, sector welcomes new support for jobs but warns that demand-hit manufacturing sector not yet out of…

20,000 stores are already expected to fail this year – and a second major lockdown would claim a further 5,000 shops, warns the home delivery expert ParcelHero. Thousands more stores are also set to shut forever when special retail rent and rate protections end next year. Coronavirus cases rose by a quarter on Wednesday, causing retailers to pray that the Government’s new ‘lockdown-lite’ measures, such as shutting pubs at ten and halting the return to…

A second wave of coronavirus is already surging towards the High Street and many famous brands may not survive, says the home delivery expert ParcelHero. It fears sluggish footfall, failing shopping centres and unimpressive CVAs and Pre-Pack Administrations are leaving household names on the brink of disaster. As Brits brace themselves for a second wave of the coronavirus, the leading home delivery specialist ParcelHero says retailers and manufacturers are already facing a perfect storm. Footfall…

Google has announced it is passing the cost of the new 2% UK Digital Services Tax directly to its advertisers from November. The e-commerce delivery specialist ParcelHero says this means that, once again, it will be Britain’s online shoppers who ultimately pay the price. From November, the internet giant Google will apply the full cost of Britain’s new Digital Services Tax (DST) to all ads on UK Google and You Tube as an additional fee…

JLL Fitness LTD, the Birmingham based supplier of quality fitness equipment, has changed its delivery partner in a move designed to support an improved service for its customers. The company, which has seen the number of orders quadruple during lockdown, has chosen two-person delivery specialist ArrowXL to provide a nationwide service, responsible for around 500 items each week. Under the terms of the deal, ArrowXL will deliver a full range of large fitness equipment such…

ParcelHero fears a planned compulsory delivery charge will stall the growth of e-commerce, retail’s last hope, as 58% of shoppers admit to regularly spending more to qualify for free delivery. It warns that a mandatory delivery charge will be as damaging as the new Digital Services Tax, which the Government is already considering scrapping.   Nine out of ten shoppers say free delivery is their number one incentive to spend more, reveals new research conducted by…