Britain’s troubled parcel delivery firm Yodel appears to be in delivery limbo of its own, with the widely anticipated takeover by parcel locker giant InPost failing to materialise more than two weeks after it was expected to complete.
The Vanishing Yodel Takeover
InPost was set to formalise its acquisition of Yodel in early April, according to reports in The Times last month.
The parcel locker firm has already invested a reported £35 million into the struggling courier since last autumn to keep it operational, in exchange for an option to buy the company outright – an option that was supposed be triggered this month.
Despite this, there has been no announcement from either company, leaving retailers (including big names such as Argos, Gousto, and John Lewis) and consumers alike wondering what’s happening behind the scenes at one of the UK’s biggest delivery firms.
Yodel: A Company in Crisis
The silence is particularly concerning given Yodel’s well-documented financial troubles. The company is reportedly hemorrhaging around £1 million every week, while struggling with some of the lowest customer satisfaction scores in the industry.
In a festive fiasco that perfectly captured the company’s operational challenges, Yodel was forced to ask clients including New Look and eBay to divert their parcels to rival carriers during December 2024 – right at the peak of the Christmas shopping season.
The company blamed “significant delays” and driver shortages, telling customers it was “currently unable to guarantee a 24-hour service” during what should have been its most profitable period.
Legal Battles Over Share Ownership Adds to the Chaos
Complicating matters further is an ongoing and increasingly bitter ownership dispute. Jacob Corlett, entrepreneur and owner of tech-based delivery firm Shift, is part of a group of warrant holders who have filed a formal demand claiming they own 70% of Yodel’s shares.
Yodel has “utterly refuted” these claims, stating they have “no record of these warrants in its legal records” and insisting that Judge Logistics Limited remains the 100% shareholder of the company.
The dispute has escalated into a full-blown legal battle, with Yodel’s current CEO Mike Hancox and Corlett trading serious allegations including claims of breach of fiduciary duties, misappropriation of company funds, and asset stripping.
Yodel Customer Service Woes Continue
While executives and investors battle over who owns the increasingly troubled company, Yodel’s reputation with consumers remains firmly in the gutter.
The delivery firm ranks at the bottom of customer satisfaction surveys alongside Evri, with Citizens Advice reporting that 40% of customers experienced issues with the company – worse than even Evri’s 34%.
The courier received just 2 out of 5 stars for overall service, scoring a dismal 2.2 out of 5 for customer trust.
What Happens Next with the Yodel Takeover?
As the radio silence from both InPost and Yodel continues, the question remains – what’s happening to one of the UK’s largest parcel carriers?
If the Yodel takeover falls through, could this be the end of the road for them? With £1 million weekly losses, poor customer ratings, and ongoing legal battles, the company’s future looks increasingly uncertain.
The situation is particularly concerning for retailers who rely on Yodel for their deliveries, as any collapse could cause significant disruption to their operations.
Meanwhile, InPost continues to expand rapidly elsewhere, having doubled its UK deliveries to 93 million in 2024 and grown its network to more than 13,000 out-of-home delivery points across the country.
As the silence stretches on, one thing is clear – in the intensely competitive UK parcel market, Yodel’s troubles show no sign of disappearing any time soon.
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