Record-breaking parcel volumes during Black Week: +31% up compared to 2019

Cristina Blanaru Business, e-Commerce, Marketing, Media

Shopping really hit top gear in the Nordic countries around this year’s Black Friday. The volume of e-commerce parcels resulting from this day of shopping – which has now become an entire week of reduced prices and discounted offers – was already expected to be unusually high due to the coronavirus pandemic and associated limited opportunities to shop in physical stores.

Annemarie Gardshol, President and Group CEO of PostNord

“Many people take the opportunity to shop when the prices are good, and I think even more people than usual clicked to buy Christmas presents for their loved ones this year around Black Friday. PostNord is entrusted with transporting a large proportion of what people in the Nordic countries buy online, and as a provider of critical infrastructure we are proud of being able to help simplify life as Christmas approaches,”

In total, PostNord handled 9.1 million parcels (including value letters) in the Nordic region during this year’s Black Week (23–29 November 2020), which is an increase of just over 31 percent compared to last year, when the volume was 6.9 million parcels.

Parcel volumes were very high in all PostNord’s markets. Compared to 2019, PostNord handled approximately 26 percent more parcels in Norway, 26 percent more in Sweden, 38 percent more in Denmark and 70 percent more in Finland. In Norway, PostNord set a new record as it delivered 1 million parcels during the week. In Finland, the number of home deliveries increased by more than 170 percent compared to 2019. In both Sweden and Denmark, new records were set during the night between Monday and Tuesday in the week after Black Friday; close to 1.3 million parcels in Sweden and over 0.7 million parcels in Denmark in one day.

Annemarie Gardshol:

“We prepared well for these busy weeks and their high parcel volumes. As a result of the pandemic, it has been more difficult than usual to make forecasts. With careful preparation, good cooperation with our customers and a forward-looking ability to solve problems, we have done well with the deliveries. Everything has run smoothly, from the first sorting at our terminals, via distribution and right through to the partner outlet or recipient’s door, and I would like to say an extra big thank you to our fantastic employees, who have made this happen,”

PostNord and the partner outlets urge recipients who have not chosen home delivery or delivery to a parcel box to avoid busy times when collecting their parcels. And to come well prepared for the collection, with ID documents and similar ready to be shown.

PostNord is the leading supplier of communication and logistics solutions to, from, and within the Nordic region. We ensure the provision of a postal service to households and businesses in Sweden and Denmark. With our expertise and strong distribution network, we develop the conditions for tomorrow’s communication, e-commerce, distribution and logistics in the Nordic region. In 2019, the Group had approximately 29,000 employees and sales of SEK 38.3 billion. The Parent Company is a Swedish public limited company with Group headquarters in Solna, Sweden.