The post office of the future?

Australia Post today launched its “Post office of the future” at the Brisbane GPO, with further flagship stores to be set up in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Launceston.Some long-serving Licensees may remember that the Brisbane GPO was the site of the first “Retail Post” trial post office in 1989. Many of the lessons learned in the early years of the operation of the Retail Post trial were implemented in LPOs across Australia.The new “super store” concept will allow Australia Post to trial new store layouts, new services and new products. Already Australia Post has announced that a branch of Harvey World Travel will operate from within the Brisbane GPO.Another feature of the revamped Brisbane GPO will be the parcel collection lockers. These parcel collection lockers will allow customers to collect parcels 24 hours a day. Customers who register for this service will have the option of having parcels delivered to a parcel locker. Parcel lockers are also being trialed in Sydney and St Kilda.Parcel collection lockers are part of a wider Australia Post strategy to better serve customers who order goods online for delivery through Australia Post. Parcel volumes are likely to continue to increase, meaning that Australia Post will need to continue to improve parcel delivery services to satisfy customers’ needs and to improve the efficiency of its parcel delivery network.Australia Post has also announced today that 300 corporate post offices will open extended hours during December. Many LPOs already open extended hours, including Saturdays. Some LPOs are open 7 days a week.LPOs will continue to play an important part in parcel delivery. With 3000 LPOs spread across Australia, customers will always be able to find a Licensed Post Office nearby.