Evri looks to recruit hundreds of new couriers in Plymouth

Evri has today announced the creation of hundreds of new courier roles across Plymouth, as part of its long-term growth strategy and ambition to become the UK’s premier parcel delivery business.

The addition of these roles will deliver the brand’s largest-ever self-employed courier network, taking it to over 33,000.

And alongside existing couriers, those joining the business in Plymouth will also have the opportunity to become part of the brand’s relaunched and pioneering ‘Evri Plus’ initiative, which remains the UK’s only union-backed courier scheme.

Evri Plus gives self-employed workers access to a range of additional benefits, including 28 days paid holiday, guaranteed national minimum wage, pension contributions and parental leave, as well as other additional flexible benefits. The initiative works on an opt-in basis, available to eligible couriers*, and the business is keen to boost numbers.

As one of the UK’s largest dedicated parcel delivery companies, today’s announcement follows a huge period of growth for the Yorkshire-based business, which has grown ten-fold over the last decade and serves most of the UK’s major retailers.

The brand also recently revealed future international growth further bolstered by last month’s announcement of its merger with DHL eCommerce UK and the acquisition of leading customs clearance and logistics specialist Coll-8.

Martijn de Lange, CEO at Evri, said: “We continue to deliver phenomenal growth at Evri, and none more so than within our hard-working courier network, who are truly the backbone of our business.

“We know that service, reliability and quality are critical factors for our clients and consumers, and so by expanding our self-employed network further, we remain focused on delivering in each of those areas.

“And it’s so important that we continue to support our couriers, which is why I’m so proud that we are leading the way with our pioneering ‘Evri Plus’ initiative, providing couriers with greater protection and benefits alongside the opportunity to retain the flexibility of self-employment.”

Mark Padgett, Evri Courier, said: “After working for Evri for 13 years, I’ve made lots of friends through my deliveries in the area I work, and it’s a great feeling knowing how much my customers appreciate me.

“Quite a few of my customers are elderly, and I love helping them; just the little things they do makes me love my job even more. They invite me into their homes to warm up when it’s really cold and praise me to new people who move into the area, so when they order parcels, they know they’ll receive them with the greatest care.

“A huge benefit of being a courier is also how active it keeps me - I have no idea how many steps I do on a daily basis, but it definitely adds up.”

With a mix of permanent and flexible roles available, Evri couriers can typically earn £20.86 an hour on average whilst being able to enjoy the flexibility of delivering parcels any time between 8am and 8pm.

Those interested in joining will support a busy summer period and other peaks in parcel volumes throughout the year, with opportunities for those in more flexible roles who are looking to build a career with Evri to become permanent couriers.

Also, amongst other benefits open to Evri couriers are free access to both wellbeing benefits, such as Digital GP and Physio, as well as discounts for major retailers to help save on everyday expenses.

Evri also recently launched a ‘Go Electric’ scheme to incentivise its self-employed couriers to switch to electric vehicles by offering up to £3,300 towards an electric vehicle over two years.

For those looking to apply, visit: www.evri.com/beacourier