Lidl Northern Ireland has joined forces with an innovative ‘out of home’ self-service parcel locker provider to make its parcel lockers available to customers across the region, offering them the convenience of picking up or returning their online purchases at the same time as their regular shop.
The strategic partnership with parcel locker company OOHPod is the first in Northern Ireland. It will see Lidl roll out the lockers to stores across the region in the months ahead, simplifying online shopping for customers.
The lockers are open 24/7, providing shoppers with added peace of mind by offering the option to have their purchases dropped safely and securely ‘out of home’ to avoid the risk of missed deliveries.
Avril O’Hehir, Chief Administration Officer at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, said that the supermarket was pleased to be the first-to-market retailer with this innovative service offered by OOHPod.
With simplicity and convenience at the heart of its business models, OOHPod’s parcel lockers will offer safe storage at the point of delivery across Lidl’s local store network, making Lidl Northern Ireland a one-stop shop for all shopping needs.
“We are committed to building sustainable relationships with market leaders across industries that will have a positive impact, and we’re excited with what this new development will bring in the years to come,” said O’Hehir.
OOHPod is the brainchild of parcel delivery specialist John Tuohy, who launched the service in the Republic of Ireland in 2021 to provide shoppers with more flexibility in how they receive their online goods.
Customers using the OOHPod service can have their parcels delivered by any online store or carrier to their favourite Lidl store, where OOHPod self-service lockers are available. Major courier UPS is fully integrated with OOHPod allowing customers to pick up and drop off UPS parcels by selecting the service through the UPS website.
John Tuohy, CEO of OOHPod, stated that the OOHPod parcel lockers are designed conveniently and securely. Unlike other providers, its open network model means consumers can shop anywhere and deliver their parcels straight to an OOHPod locker, regardless of the delivery provider.
“We are delighted to have partnered with Lidl Northern Ireland to bring the OOHPod service to stores across the region and to offer customers more choices with a seamless click-and-collect service,” said Tuohy.
“Picking up a parcel from one of our parcel lockers at Lidl Northern Ireland means their package is kept safe until they are ready to pick it up and can do their weekly grocery shop simultaneously.”
OOHPod parcel lockers are currently in place at Lidl Northern Ireland stores in Castlereagh, Newtownards, Shore Road Belfast and Lisburn, with additional lockers being rolled out at further regional sites.
With several payment options, customers can opt to ‘pay as you go’ by registering a payment method and only pay each time a parcel arrives. For regular customers, there are two discounted subscription bundles available.
For just £7.50 per month Standard Subscription, customers can have three uses of a locker for 48 hours each time. A £17 per month Premium Monthly subscription gives ten uses of a locker per month of 48 hours each time per use.
