CouriersPlease is expanding its parcel-handling capabilities with three new sustainable depots in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, expanding its footprint and supporting the growth of its customers and franchisees in these cities.
In 2023, CouriersPlease saw parcel volumes increase by 20%, a record for the business. In the last year, the company also celebrated 40 years and launched a brand refresh.
In Melbourne, the 15,550 square metre Dandenong South facility is larger than the Mulgrave facility that it is relocating from. The expansion enables CouriersPlease to meet surging parcel volumes and support the growth of Melbourne e-retailers and e-commerce traders alongside its network of Melbourne franchisees.
The Dandenong South depot has a Green Star Performance certification from the Green Building Council of Australia. It also includes rainwater reuse infrastructure, energy-efficient fittings, solar hot water, LED lighting and light harvesting.
Over the next few months, CouriersPlease will open a new 28,644 square metre depot in Sydney’s Pemulwuy and a 5,400 square metre depot in Perth’s High Wycombe to further support growth of customers and franchisees in the two cities.
The Perth and Sydney facilities will also target a Green Star certification. With a completion date of April 2024, the Perth depot will have provisions for future solar panel installations, rainwater harvesting and electric car charging points.
Slated to open in May 2024, the Sydney depot will feature rainwater reuse systems, a 300kW solar system, solar hot water systems, recycled asphalt made from recycled plastic bags, glass and printer cartridges, bicycle parking, native landscaping, and five electric vehicle charging stations.
The new facilities expand CouriersPlease’s total square metre space across 18 depots in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, the Gold Coast, Wollongong, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, the Central Coast, Newcastle, Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong.
CouriersPlease CEO, Richard Thame said, “These depots are part of our strategic mission to expand our depot space nationally to meet growing parcel volumes and help grow our franchisees’ businesses. Our strong metro fleet will help us continue capitalising on the growth of e-commerce in capital cities, while our expanding regional footprint will provide a better service for the many Australians that have moved to regional areas in recent years.
“At the same time, every new facility that we open will advance sustainability. We are trialling electric delivery vans with the view to growing our electric fleet, hence the installation of electric vehicle charging stations and solar arrays to futureproof the depots. Enhanced internal ventilation will reduce the need for heating and cooling.”
CouriersPlease has partnered with end-to-end supply chain and property experts TMX to oversee the depot builds.