An Post predicting record parcel volume as weekly deliveries hit 3m

Three weeks after Fastway collapse, An Post reiterates it is unlikely to have capacity to handle all increased volumes

A packet processor in Dubin the An Post Dublin Mail Centre which can handle 100,000 items a day. Picture: Maxwell's 

An Post is on course for record parcel volumes in 2025, with over 3m items delivered weekly in the pre-Christmas rush.

Three weeks after the collapse of Fastway, An Post has reiterated it is unlikely to have capacity to handle all of the increased volumes as a result of Fastway falling out of the market. An Post public affairs manager Angus Laverty said the next few weeks are “by far the busiest period of the year for ecommerce parcel deliveries”.

The semi-state company delivered 54m parcel and contract packets across 2024 and that number will be exceeded this year. An Post said it was already on course for the record predictions before delivery firm Fastway went into receivership late last month.

“An Post’s ‘Christmas Peak’ operations and resource plans were finalised months ago in anticipation of record parcel volumes from existing customers. As a result we may not be able to accommodate all additional service requests from new customers at this time,” Mr Laverty said. “That said, we are doing everything possible to support SMEs in need of delivery solutions by putting arrangements in place to handle additional volumes.” Mr Laverty said ongoing discounted An Post advantage card parcel labels – which offer reduced rates on bulk stamps and parcel label packs are “proving valuable services for this group”.

Parcel delivery has become the cornerstone of An Post’s business in recent years. In 2024, the company said revenue from parcel delivery increased 12.6% (€20.8m). Over the same period, revenue from traditional mail fell by 7.6%.

An Post has brought forward the December 16 the latest parcel posting date for Christmas delivery within Ireland and the UK. This deadline applies to both business and personal customers sending parcels.

The decision to bring forward latest Christmas postal delivery dates was taken before news of the Fastway receivership, which means even greater strain on the entire Irish delivery ecosystem. “Our network has been handling Christmas type volumes for many weeks now. December 16th is a few days earlier than usual but will help us manage the record high volumes this year,” said Mr Laverty.

Meanwhile the managing director of Keystone Procurement, Ross McCarthy, said the receivership of Fastway has exposed a “structural vulnerability” in the Irish parcel-delivery market. Mr McCarthy said it showed how exposed many SMEs, online retailers, and smaller manufacturers remain when a critical distribution partner fails.

Many Irish SMEs were exclusively relying on Fastway, which left them even further exposed.

“For many SMEs who relied heavily on a single courier at low per-parcel rates, the receivership is a stark reminder that distribution is not a commodity service. It is a core operational risk. To protect themselves against future shocks of this kind, businesses should strengthen three procurement disciplines: due diligence, value-based selection, and whole-life risk assessment,” Mr McCarthy wrote on the Keystone website.

Mr McCarthy said that the Irish courier market has spent years “driving delivery rates downward, with per-parcel pricing becoming a key competitive battleground.

“A value-based procurement approach should consider “proven delivery success rates, customer-support capability, tracking technology, responsiveness during peak periods and overall operational stability.”