Evri plans to hire 9,000 more staff as it prepares to deliver more parcels.

This comes after the company agreed to be bought by new owners in a deal worth £2.7 billion.

Evri, formerly known as Hermes, said the recruitment drive is an effort to grow its team of couriers and warehouse staff.

Key areas for hiring have been selected and these are Scotland, Bury St Edmunds, Plymouth and Gatwick as Evri aims to meet the swelling demand for deliveries.

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The number of parcels being delivered is now higher than during the pandemic years when lockdowns and the shift to remote working caused home deliveries to boom, Evri said.

Online shopping opportunities at high street retailers as well as fast-growing new businesses and second-hand platforms has sparked this.

How much do couriers earn at Evri?

After the hiring spree, Evri’s workforce of self-employed couriers will grow to 28,000 as it prepares to deliver up to four million parcels on busy days.

It expects to hire some 8,000 couriers alongside 1,000 warehouse and other supporting roles this year.

Couriers typically earn around £16.50 per hour, according to Evri.

Last week, the company revealed it had agreed to be bought by Apollo Global Management, meaning it will move from current owners Advent International, a different private equity firm which bought the business prior to its rebrand.

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In past years, Evri was impacted by complaints of slow and missing deliveries, with an MP last year questioning whether it should be investigated over “poor customer service”.

More recently, it has invested millions of pounds in customer service improvements and says 99% of its deliveries are made on time.

Martijn De Lange, Evri chief executive, said: “New client wins and increased parcel volumes are proof of the trust customers have in our service and biggest-ever recruitment drive promises to deliver another record year.”