Evri tracking

Second largest parcel carrier in the United Kingdom

Evri (stylized EVRi) is a parcel delivery company based in the UK. Formerly known as Hermes UK until March 2022, it operates a vast parcel distribution network for individuals and businesses. Evri is one of the main players in the UK courier market, delivering hundreds of millions of parcels per year. It is thus the second largest parcel carrier in the country with about 16% market share, just behind Royal Mail.

The company is headquartered in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Originating from the Hermes Europe group (logistics subsidiary of the German giant Otto Group), Evri has benefited from private equity investments in recent years. In 2020, the Advent International fund acquired a majority stake in Hermes UK, and in 2024 Apollo Global Management bought the company. As a member of a network present in 28 European countries, Evri can also ship parcels internationally by relying on local partners. The company has more than 15,000 employees and distributed over 800 million parcels in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

History

The Hermes group was founded in 1972 in Germany by the mail order group Otto, initially for the delivery of the brand's parcels. Hermes gradually expanded internationally: in 1997 in France, then in the UK from 2000 (under the name Hermes UK), as well as in Austria (2007), Italy (2009), and Russia (2010). Over the 2000s and 2010s, Hermes UK became one of the leading parcel delivery providers in the UK market, driven by the rise of online commerce.

In November 2020, the investment fund Advent International announced the acquisition of about 75% of Hermes UK's capital, with Otto Group retaining 25%. This entry of an investor marked a new phase of autonomy for the British subsidiary. However, Hermes UK was then suffering from a tarnished image due to numerous criticisms regarding the reliability of its deliveries and customer service (see Controversies section). In March 2022, following these allegations of service issues and mishandled parcels, Hermes UK unveiled a name and brand identity change to become "Evri". The new name, phonetically evoking the English word "every", symbolizes the company's desire to start anew and deliver "everywhere, to everyone". The rebranding was accompanied by a new logo and a communication campaign to restore customer trust.

After this rebranding, Evri continued its growth. In 2022, the company opened a new large-scale sorting center in Barnsley (Yorkshire) to increase its parcel processing capacity. In 2023, Evri received praise from Amazon during a pilot project: over a six-week period, the on-time delivery rate of Prime parcels entrusted to Evri reached 97%, meeting the quality standards set by Amazon. The same year, Evri entered into a partnership with the British post office chain (Post Office) to offer Evri parcel shipping directly from postal counters (a first in the 360-year history of the British post office). This partnership increased Evri's presence in the territory and offered more drop-off points to customers.

In 2024, the Apollo Global Management fund announced the acquisition of Evri from Advent, marking a new ownership for the company. Following this acquisition, Evri (grouped under the holding company Edge Finco PLC) obtained in September 2024 the "B+ / stable outlook" rating from the S&P Global agency, reflecting investor confidence in its financial stability. In May 2025, Evri announced its intention to merge with DHL's e-commerce division in the UK. This merger project aims to create one of the largest parcel delivery groups in the country, combining Evri's massive network with DHL's premium services. The merger would also allow Evri to offer, for the first time, a mail distribution service (business letters) inherited from DHL and further expand its international delivery capabilities by leveraging DHL's global network. This merger, which would make Evri-DHL an entity capable of delivering more than a billion parcels and as many letters per year, is however subject to the approval of the UK Competition Authority (CMA) which opened an investigation in 2025 on the effects of this operation.

Services

Evri positions itself as a flexible and economical delivery service, offering various solutions for parcel shipping. The company stands out for its affordable rates and the diversity of its options, with the aim of adapting to the needs of both individuals and businesses. Standard delivery is generally carried out within a few days, while expedited options allow for faster delivery, including weekends. Evri also offers real-time tracking and simplified online tools (website, mobile app) to facilitate the sending and receiving of parcels.

Evri's range of services includes:

• Standard home delivery throughout the UK (parcels delivered against signature or in a safe place)
• An express delivery service, with expedited delivery (often the next day) including weekends
• A wide network of "ParcelShop" relay points and automatic lockers for parcel drop-off and collection
• Parcel return solutions for e-commerce sites and individuals (return labels, drop-offs at relay points)
• International shipping offers, with Evri handling the parcel in the UK and then transferring it to partner carriers abroad for final delivery.

In practice, Evri relies on more than 9,000 local relay points (partner stores called ParcelShops) spread across the UK, as well as about 5,500 automatic lockers where customers can drop off or collect their parcels. These out-of-home solutions offer additional flexibility and help optimize delivery routes. Furthermore, thanks to the agreement concluded with Post Office in 2024, Evri's services are also available in British post offices, multiplying contact points for senders and recipients. The company handles all types of parcels ranging from small packages and documents to large parcels, with specific options for non-standard formats. Evri has also developed partnerships with major online sales platforms (marketplaces) to integrate its shipping and tracking services directly into the customer journey of these sites.

Network and infrastructure

To transport the considerable volumes of parcels it handles each year, Evri has an extensive logistics infrastructure. The company operates several regional sorting centers and highly automated sorting centers. Among them, the "Midlands Super sorting center" located in Rugby (central England) is one of the largest parcel sorting centers in the country: this ultra-modern 25,000 m² platform, inaugurated in 2017, can sort more than a million parcels per day at full capacity. Another major platform was opened in Barnsley (Yorkshire) in 2022 to support business growth. In total, dozens of warehouses and local depots cover the UK, allowing for quick processing and distribution of parcels to their final destination.

The "last mile" distribution - that is, delivery to the final recipient - relies on a vast network of local couriers. Most of these couriers operate as independent contractors with Evri (there are about 20,000 across the UK). Every day, these couriers carry out delivery rounds in their geographic area, usually using light commercial vehicles. In parallel, Evri employs several thousand employees in its sorting centers (sorting agents, supervisors) and administrative offices. This model combining centralized infrastructure and a network of local micro-entrepreneurs gives the company great flexibility and the ability to absorb very large parcel volumes, especially during peak periods (activity peaks during sales, year-end holidays, etc.).

On the technological front, Evri strongly relies on automation and digital technology to optimize its efficiency. Its sorting centers are equipped with high-speed automated sorting systems (mechanized conveyors, barcode scanners, optical sorting) allowing for quick processing of arrivals. The company uses delivery route optimization tools (GPS and artificial intelligence software) to help couriers plan their rounds efficiently and reduce travel times. In addition, a real-time computerized tracking system accompanies each parcel: at each key stage (pickup, transit, delivery), a scan updates the parcel's status in the database. Customers can thus track progress from the Evri website or app by entering the tracking number, which enhances service transparency.

Social and environmental commitments

Aware of the criticisms regarding the status and working conditions of its couriers, Evri's management has introduced innovative measures to improve the social framework. In 2019, Hermes UK (shortly before becoming Evri) implemented a new collaboration model with its independent couriers, called "self-employed plus" (SE+). This hybrid status, unprecedented in the sector, allows couriers to retain the flexibility of self-employment while benefiting from guarantees inspired by employment (guaranteed minimum income, paid leave, etc.). At the end of 2022, Evri announced the automatic affiliation of all its 20,000 SE+ couriers to a pension scheme (supplementary retirement), becoming the first delivery company in the UK to offer retirement coverage to self-employed workers. The company claims to want to reward the loyalty of its courier network and attract new talent, in a context where the driver shortage is a challenge for the entire sector.

On the environmental front, Evri is committed to transitioning to more sustainable deliveries. The company is gradually deploying a fleet of low-emission vehicles: electric vans are being introduced for urban area rounds, and the use of electric cargo bikes is being tested for last-mile delivery in city centers. Evri invests in dedicated charging infrastructure, such as the installation in 2023 of an electric vehicle charging sorting center at the Rugby sorting center. Furthermore, Evri's strategy prioritizes reducing the carbon footprint through delivery pooling: by grouping several parcels to be delivered in the same neighborhood or encouraging customers to use relay points and lockers (out-of-home delivery), the number of individual trips decreases. This optimized logistics reduces the kilometers traveled and thus the CO2 emissions per parcel. Evri is also exploring innovative solutions such as next-generation automated lockers and closely monitoring advances in autonomous vehicles or delivery robots. Finally, the company participates in recycling and packaging waste reduction initiatives, aiming to improve its overall environmental record.

Controversies and criticisms

Despite its growth, Evri regularly faces criticism, partly inherited from the Hermes era. From the perspective of the service provided to customers, numerous testimonials report missed deliveries, damaged or lost parcels. At the end of 2022, just a few months after the rebranding, a significant wave of customer complaints flooded social media and the media about delayed or undelivered parcels before Christmas. Filmed incidents also tarnished the company's image: for example, a video released in 2022 showed employees at an Evri warehouse (in the Plymouth area) throwing parcels, sparking a scandal over package handling. Evri had to issue a public apology and claim to have taken disciplinary measures. Furthermore, some customers denounce dishonest practices by isolated couriers (parcels scanned as "delivered" but never handed over, possibly stolen), fueling mistrust towards the carrier in some publicized cases.

Another frequent grievance concerns the difficulty of contacting Evri's customer service. Many people report the complexity of the process to get help in case of a problem: lack of easily accessible phone number, insufficient automated responses, and long complaint processing times. This lack of human support has contributed to the frustration of some users facing a lost parcel or a delivery dispute.

On the social front, the working conditions of Evri's couriers are also criticized. The British union GMB, representing delivery drivers among others, accuses the company of exploitative practices. It was revealed that in some depots, couriers had to sort parcels themselves every morning without additional pay, extending their workday. Unilateral pay cuts per delivery were also denounced during 2023, leading to protest movements. Union representatives publicly stated that the name change to Evri was merely a cosmetic operation intended to make people forget Hermes's bad reputation, without addressing the underlying issues. In January 2025, a press report highlighted the existence of abusive contracts at Evri's subcontractors, described as "modern slavery contracts", increasing media pressure on the company to improve its workforce conditions.

These controversies have taken on a political dimension. At the beginning of 2023, Carolyn Harris, a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons, questioned the Prime Minister in a parliamentary session about Evri. She reported more than 40,000 communications (complaints by email, mail, or on social media) from citizens dissatisfied with Evri's service, questioning the need to open an official investigation into the company's practices. This intervention showed the extent of the accumulated public discontent. For its part, Evri's management highlights the efforts made to rectify the situation. It emphasizes the investments made to improve operations (£57 million injected into optimization in 2024) and claims that customer satisfaction indicators are improving (for example, the Net Promoter Score would be on the rise). Evri assures that it takes every reported incident seriously and works to increase the reliability of its deliveries. Nevertheless, the company remains under the close watch of consumers, the media, and authorities, who expect concrete results in terms of service quality and social commitments.

Evri tracking statuses

Evri provides online tracking for each parcel, allowing real-time delivery progress updates. Each shipment is associated with a unique tracking number (usually a 16-digit code) which, when entered on the Evri website or a tracking platform, displays the various stages the parcel has gone through. At each barcode scan in the network (pickup, sorting, delivery), the status is updated. Below, a table summarizes the main tracking statuses used by Evri (labels translated into English) and describes the meaning of each: