Further investment in new Out-of-Home proposition connecting checkout, digital customer journey, parcel lockers and logistics
The Hague, 26 October 2026 – PostNL expects the share of Out-of-Home delivery in the Netherlands to grow from around 13% today to approximately 40% of all parcels by 2031. This growth is driven by changing consumer needs, as consumers increasingly want more control over where and when they receive, collect and return their parcels. To respond to this development, PostNL is building a new, integrated Out-of-Home proposition that brings together delivery options at checkout, the digital customer journey, available capacity and logistics operations in one system. PostNL will invest approximately €50 million extra in 2027 and 2028, on top of investments already planned for the development of Out-of-Home.
“The future of parcel delivery is no longer about a single delivery option, but about giving consumers freedom of choice,” says Pim Berendsen, CEO of PostNL. “We expect Out-of-Home to develop into a new standard alongside home delivery in the coming years. That is why our approach goes far beyond simply adding more parcel lockers. We are connecting delivery choice at the webshop checkout, the digital customer journey, available capacity and our logistics operations. Thanks to our combination of home delivery, PuDos and a rapidly expanding parcel locker network, we are well positioned to always offer consumers the delivery option that best suits their needs.”
Recent research into delivery preferences shows that, on average, consumer preference for Out-of-Home delivery in Europe is almost twice as high as in the Netherlands. This leaves significant room for growth in the Netherlands, where the number of parcel lockers has also increased rapidly in recent years, growing sixfold in five years. As a result, Out-of-Home delivery is becoming an increasingly established part of the Dutch e-commerce infrastructure.
As part of the new proposition, PostNL will expand its parcel locker network to approximately 7,500 parcel lockers by 2031. The ambition is for virtually every person in the Netherlands to be able to reach a PostNL parcel locker within approximately seven minutes. New locations will be selected based on data, location insights and consumer behaviour, allowing the network to expand where demand is greatest.
The new Out-of-Home proposition goes well beyond network expansion. PostNL is connecting delivery choice at checkout, the digital customer journey, available capacity and logistics operations. Data and AI will help to better align demand and capacity and further improve the consumer experience. For consumers, this means greater flexibility and control over where and when they receive, send or return their parcels. Online retailers benefit from an attractive delivery proposition with predictable delivery and return options.
PostNL will phase its investments and adjust the pace in line with market developments, volumes, utilisation and costs per parcel. As Out-of-Home grows, PostNL can adjust home delivery capacity and further optimise its network of PuDos. At the same time, PostNL is developing an additional logistics network dedicated to Out-of-Home sorting and delivery, which can be expanded step by step where volumes and delivery density justify this. This allows the roll-out to be accelerated or slowed down in response to market developments. Higher delivery density and utilisation within Out-of-Home, combined with a more efficient overall delivery network, are expected to contribute to structurally lower costs per parcel and improved margins from 2028 onwards.
PostNL is well positioned to respond to the growth of Out-of-Home delivery. The company combines a nationwide network for home delivery, PuDos and parcel lockers with a strong position in webshop checkouts and direct contact with millions of users through the PostNL app. This combination of network, technology and consumer reach provides a strong foundation to respond to changing delivery preferences and enable the further growth of Out-of-Home delivery.
More information about PostNL's new Out-of-Home proposition will be available after the investor deep dive held on 26 October 2026.