Evri acquires Coll-8 accelerating parcel deliveries for retailers to the Republic of Ireland

Evri’s acquisition of leading customs clearance and logistics specialist Coll-8 supercharges its international capability by strengthening its end-to-end delivery and clearance capabilities in the Republic of Ireland and wider EU.
Integration of Coll-8’s bespoke digital platform will reduce Evri’s delivery times from five to two days and speed up returns in the Republic of Ireland which has a large, and growing e-commerce market with predicted revenue of €5.4bn this year. [1]
Complementary acquisition will also leverage Coll-8’s pick-up and drop-off network in the Republic of Ireland, providing a step-change in convenience for Irish customers, accelerating returns to UK retailers.
Retailers can benefit from Coll-8’s automated process to reclaim any duty on returned items for taxes paid when goods are imported into Ireland.

Evri, the UK’s largest dedicated parcel delivery company, has today announced the multi-million-pound acquisition of Coll-8, one of Ireland’s fastest-growing and leading independent customs clearance and logistics specialists, to drive accelerated deliveries and returns for customers in the Republic of Ireland.

The highly complementary acquisition will strengthen Evri’s end-to-end capabilities in the Republic of Ireland and wider European Union by integrating its market-leading parcel delivery services with Coll-8’s bespoke, digital customs clearance platform, which automates and streamlines cross-border trade.

Currently, while Evri can guarantee next-day delivery within the UK, deliveries into the Republic of Ireland can take up to five days. By leveraging Coll-8’s technology, Evri expects to reduce delivery times to two days, significantly enhancing its end-to-end service proposition with coverage across first mile, middle mile and customs clearance for international customers.

This is the latest deal underpinning Evri’s long-term growth strategy and closely follows it announcing a strategic transaction on 14 May with DHL eCommerce UK, the e-commerce logistics specialist of DHL Group. The proposed merger between Evri and DHL eCommerce UK will lead to the combined Evri business delivering over 1 billion parcels and a further 1 billion business letters annually, bringing significant benefits to consumers and businesses by offering greater choice and cost competitive solutions.

Coll-8 is a customs clearance pioneer that has more than 500 drop2shop pickup and drop-off (PUDO) locations in the Republic of Ireland, many of which are at premises managed by BWG, Ireland's largest operator of convenience stores. These will complement Evri’s PUDO network that utilises third parties there. The integration of these networks will enhance collections and returns for customers, further improving services. With expertise in e-commerce customs clearance, Coll-8 was founded in 2021 by Dave Field and currently serves major retailers and postal providers including Boots, THG, Boohoo, An Post, Holland & Barrett, and River Island which are all also Evri clients.

This transaction is part of Evri’s long-term growth strategy to deliver more than a billion parcels a year, supported by its recent merger agreement with DHL eCommerce in the UK, and driven by its continued growth in parcel volumes from new retail clients, expansion in SMEs and online marketplaces, and international inbound and outbound opportunities.

This landmark acquisition will significantly accelerate the speed of Evri’s parcel delivery and return times for our customers in the Republic of Ireland. We look forward to collaborating with Coll-8’s talented team to elevate our end-to-end service offering across the region, as their cutting-edge customs clearance platform will give Evri a seamless gateway into European markets. This transaction will be a win-win for our customers and clients. This will make Evri the delivery solution of choice for both UK and Ireland and our first-ever acquisition signals our intent to build on our significant organic growth which has seen us triple in size in a short space of time. Our owners have backed our plans and are investing to meet our target to deliver more than a billion parcels a year, bolstered by our recent landmark merger agreement with DHL eCommerce UK – and cement our position as a powerhouse of the parcel delivery sector.

Martijn de Lange, CEO of Evri

When we launched, we wanted to offer brands and consumers a better, more cost-effective and more environmentally-friendly way of getting the very best out of the massive opportunities which e-commerce represents. I’m convinced that, together with Evri, we can now take our respective momentum to another level entirely. We have the combined experience, technology, the infrastructure and the ambition to succeed.

Dave Field, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Coll-8

Founded in 1974, over the last decade Evri has grown ten-fold and now serves most of the UK’s major retailers and currently delivers more than 800 million parcels a year.

Last year the business made a £57 million investment in operations, including courier recruitment and customer service enhancements. As part of its sustainability commitments, Evri is also targeting to achieve net-zero emissions by 2035, the sector’s largest sustainable fleet, and 100% renewable energy usage. The company also continues to champion accessibility, partnering with Scope to create a more inclusive service for disabled customers.

Notes to editors

Evri

Evri is one of the UK’s largest dedicated parcel delivery companies, delivering around 900 million parcels a year. The company has a mission to be the most convenient way to send, receive and return parcels, without costing the earth. Evri works with most of Europe’s top retailers, marketplaces and pre-loved sites. The roots of Evri can be traced back to Yorkshire in 1974 but the business has grown over the decades and now has a team of 8,000+ employees, 25,000+ couriers, 10,000+ out of home locations and a growing network of state-of-the-art hubs and depots. Evri has more than 3 million independent 5-star Trustpilot reviews, on-time delivery rates which surpass 99%, an average courier rating of 4.7/5, and a commitment to provide an answer for everyone following a significant investment in customer experience.

Media enquiries: prteam@evri.com

Coll-8

Coll-8 has transformed the means by which UK retailers ship to consumers in Ireland, and has developed drop2shop, an award-winning nationwide network of 500 location by which shoppers can collect and return online orders.

Headquartered at Baldonell in Dublin, Coll-8 maintains a separate site at Rosemount in the city, as well as two locations in the UK - a UK head office at Runcorn and a warehouse at Tamworth.

The deal is the latest success for Mr Field. Prior to launching Coll-8, he was responsible for co-founding the company which became Ireland's largest independent parcel delivery business, Nightline.

That achievement earned him a nomination as one of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur's of the year.

[1] Source: https://www.statista.com/outlook/emo/ecommerce/ireland converted from USD to Euros at exchange rate dated 30th April 2025