Postboxes of the future are coming to Penrith in biggest redesign of the red postbox in 175-year as part of Royal Mail plans to rollout 3,500 solar-powered ‘postboxes of the future’ across the UK following a successful pilot earlier this year, as the company continues to find ways to make sending, returning and collecting parcels more convenient.
The new design postbox allows customers to send and return labelled parcels - up to the size of a shoebox - through a postbox for the first time. Customers can also request proof of posting, and track their parcel, using the Royal Mail app. This is also available for smaller parcels at any of the UK’s 115,000 postboxes.
The reimagining of the iconic red postbox is the biggest redesign in its 175-year history with the modern makeover including:
A barcode scanner which opens a drop-down drawer to place parcels that are larger than those that fit through the traditional postbox slot
A solar panel, positioned due south for optimal sunlight, to power the scanner and drawer
A separate slot for letters
As part of the rollout one of the first to be updated in Penrith is the iconic red postbox on Sandgate located outside the Spar that houses one of the towns two postoffice counters.
Jack Clarkson, Managing Director of Out of Home and Commercial Excellence at Royal Mail, said: “We are all sending and returning more parcels than ever before. This trend will only continue as online shopping shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the boom of second-hand marketplaces. There are 115,000 postboxes in the UK located within half a mile of 98% of addresses, making them by far the most convenient network of parcel drop-off points in the UK. Our message is clear, if you have a Royal Mail label on your parcel, and it fits, put it in a postbox and we’ll do the rest.”
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