News roundup--Royal Mail, Amazon, more

A new Royal Mail scheme allowing items to be delivered to a neighbouring address if no one is at home to receive them is being rolled out nationwide from next month. A three-month trial of the initiative found that customers welcomed the convenience of items being delivered to a neighbouring address if no one was at home to receive them. Royal Mail is the only major delivery company currently not allowed to deliver to a neighbour as part of standard practice.

In more parcel delivery news, Amazon has extended its partnership with CollectPlus meaning Amazon.co.uk customers can now choose to have purchases delivered to one of over 4,700 CollectPlus stores across the UK. CollectPlus was already integrated into Amazon.co.uk Marketplace, enabling sellers to choose the service as their delivery option.

Apparel retailer Superdry is planning more international ecommerce expansion. Already established in the US, Canada, France, Germany and Belgium, Spain, Italy and Switzerland, the brand is looking to push into Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, South Korea, China, Taiwan and Australia with new websites. It has appointed iCrossing to manage its global paid search and overseas natural search accounts following a competitive pitch. The agency will also be responsible for paid search in the UK.

Germany-based apparel and footwear etailer Zalando has secured investment from JP Morgan Asset Management and Quadrant Capital Advisors. The investment will further support Zalando’s future growth including expanding the business into Norway and Poland.