Evri celebrates 50 years of delivering on Yorkshire Day

Leeds-based Evri, the UK’s biggest dedicated parcel delivery company, is celebrating its 50th year of courier deliveries today, on Yorkshire Day.

You’d be forgiven for thinking Evri is a relatively new household name, the roots of Evri can be traced back to 1974 as Grattan mail order in Bradford. The business started with just seven couriers; the families of directors packed and delivered parcels to local customers; this is where the home delivery model was launched. In the early nineties, Evri had 1,000 couriers, covering 60% of the UK and delivering parcels two to three days a week. Fast forward to 2024 and Evri is a Leeds-based UK success story, with more than 20,0000 couriers and 8,000 employees, delivering more than 730 million parcels each year to over 220 destinations worldwide.

Evri’s huge success and growth over the past 5 years can in part be attributed to the rise of online shopping during the pandemic, Evri has revealed that over 60% of consumers in its home county of Yorkshire receive up to 4 deliveries per week to their home.

Yorkshire-based consumers are sensible with their purchases, with most (over 80%) spending below £150 a month online, with groceries and clothing being people’s top priority.

The celebration comes ahead of a report due to be released in the coming week to mark its 50th year.  The report will look back at the changing nature of retail and ecommerce over the last five decades and will provide expert insight into changing retail trends, consumer confidence and shifts within the communities it delivers to.

The delivery business has changed so much over the years, speaking with, Debbie Sharkey, who has been working for the for business for 35 years as a customer service advisor, she shared some of the changes she’s seen over her time with the business.

“Originally, I worked on the phones taking orders for purchases from the Grattan catalogue, flexibility was important for me a young mum with a one-year-old and I worked the night shift, my daughter now works here as well and has done for 12 years. The biggest change I’ve seen over my time is the shift to homeworking during the pandemic.”

Debbie also recognises the change in technology, as she went on to say, “Technology’s impact is undeniable, I can with hazy memories recall green writing on computers and records being on microfiche, a really old method of storing data, the ability to have so much data at my fingertips now is much more efficient for the customer experience. The one thing that has been a constant is my headset though, albeit it’s much more modern now.”