Posted on 7th Jun 2019
It’s always great to hear good news. Amidst the doom and gloom that’s dominating the media, there are nuggets of information from the UK delivery market to lift our mood. The sector continues to boom, and that means the demand for delivery trucks and delivery vans is as healthy as ever.
Research from Mintel shows that the UK courier and express delivery market experienced double-digit growth in 2018. Increased volumes from online shopping are powering this increase and fueling optimism in the sector.
In 2018 sales in the courier and express delivery industry increased by 12% to 12.6 billion pounds an increase of 62% over 2014 figures. Additionally, volume sales were up 14% in 2018 a 66% rise from 2014 to 2018.
Mintel’s research includes predictions for growth in the UK delivery market for the next five years. They forecast the market will continue to deliver strong sales and double-digit volumes will be sustained year on year with a projected rise of 54% between 2019 and 2023. This will soon exceed value sales, that are expected to rise to 42% by 2023.
It’s clear there will be an increased requirement for purpose-built delivery vans that will serve an increasingly diverse range of products. The research found that in 2018, UK firms and consumers sent 3.65 billion packages, nearly half a billion more than in 2017.
Clear trends are driving the consumer switch to online shopping and home delivery. Mintel identifies three main themes: lower costs (53%), the volume of products available (51%) and the greater variety on offer (39%).
Mintel’s predictions for the UK delivery market are encouraging for the Truck Body sector. The need for delivery vans to power online deliveries will increase sharply. This is bound to include robust demand for delivery trucks like the ever-reliable Luton van. We can expect to see many more of these distinctive trucks on UK roads going forwards. As Marco Amasanti, retail analyst at Mintel commented:
“The courier and express delivery market are booming, much of which is underpinned by surging online retail sales …for those who remain in the market, the future looks bright. Major players should further consolidate, given continued value and volume growth; both of which show little sign of abating as online retail appears far from reaching its ceiling.”
Mintel’s projections are great news for our sector. As online sales boom, the need for well-designed, robust truck bodies to deliver these vast volumes will grow and innovation will drive new products and processes to serve these markets.
For our part, we’ll continue to build best in class delivery vans and trucks that the logistics sector can rely on to process the predicted growth. Sturdy vehicles that will work day in, day out to service this insatiable consumer demand.
Bring it on, we say!
For more information on our purpose built delivery trucks and vans please contact the Truckcraft Bodies sales team on 0161 304 9404. Alternatively, email glen.pinder@truckcraftbodies.co.uk or emma.jane@truckcraftbodies.co.uk.