Royal Mail is to start regular Sunday deliveries to homes for the first time in its 498-year history.
In a historic move the privatised group will begin delivering parcels on the Sabbath from this summer.
A trial will initially focus on addresses within the M25 only but could be expanded nationally if it is a success.
The new Sunday service will only cover packages ordered from retailers over the internet and will not include letters or parcels sent through the normal postal service.
Apart from a special one-off services on the last Sunday before Christmas it will be the first time the Royal Mail has made deliveries on a Sunday since its foundation by Henry VIII in 1516.
It is aimed at countering criticism that post workers too often leave “while you were out cards” during the working week. It is also a response to moves by companies such as Amazon to introduce Sunday deliveries in London using their own fleet of vans.
As part of the initiative 100 of the Royal Mail’s busiest delivery offices across the country will also open on a Sunday. This will make it possible for goods ordered online at the weekend to be delivered on a Monday for the first time.
The firm’s express parcels business, Parcelforce Worldwide, will also launch a Sunday delivery service in June for online shoppers through some e-retailers.
Royal Mail’s chief executive Moya Greene said: “Through these new Sunday services we are exploring ways to improve our flexibility and provide more options for people to receive items they have ordered online.”
Parcels now make up about half of Royal Mail’s £9.15 billion revenues and are growing with the number of goods ordered online. Meanwhile “snail-mail” letter volumes are declining.
The Sunday initiative has been backed by postal unions. Dave Ward, deputy general secretary of the CWU union, said: “Royal Mail’s announcement today about expanding delivery and collection services to seven-days-a-week is an exciting innovation which we welcome.”
