Yodel, the parcel carrier which narrowly averted collapse earlier this year, is to begin hiring thousands of workers as it prepares for the peak shopping period in the final quarter of the year.
Sky News understands that Yodel is lining up millions of pounds in seasonal financing as part of plans to recruit more than 3,000 couriers and warehouse staff during the coming weeks.
The annual recruitment drive, which in the past has seen Yodel hire as many as 7,000 staff, comes ahead of November’s Black Friday and the Christmas retail frenzy.
The move comes weeks after the company secured an £85m funding package from Paypoint, the London-listed company, and Independent Growth Finance, a specialist lender.
Yodel said the new roles would offer flexible working, with couriers able to undertake deliveries around their existing schedules.
There was also potential for temporary roles to become permanent in the long term, the company added.
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Yodel was previously owned by the Barclay family, whose business portfolio also included the Telegraph newspapers and London’s Ritz hotel.
The company expects the number of parcels to rise by more than half during the next three months.
Mike Hancox, Yodel’s chief executive, said: “As we head into the busiest time of year for retailers, we’re expanding our workforce to meet the boom in demand for parcel deliveries as the ecommerce market continues to go from strength to strength.
“We’re committed to supporting our network of couriers and providing a competitive range of benefits.”
Meal kit company Gousto, Argos, Vinted and Very Group, the online shopping company still part-owned by the Barclay family, are among Yodel’s customers.
Yodal makes more than 190 million deliveries annually from its sites across the UK.