Nearly all of the London Underground’s 268 ticket offices are scheduled to close by 2015, but they might not be going away entirely. Amazon is reportedly in talks with Transport for London to repurpose the soon-to-be vacated stations as delivery drop-off points where Amazon customers could pick up their purchases.
Transport for London has not commented about the potential “click-and-collect” partnership with the retail giant, but has confirmed it is currently developing a trial with the Walmart-owned British supermarket chain Asda to allow customers to order online and pick up their deliveries at one of six London Underground parking stations. TfL also says it is “looking to work with other retailers to offer similar services.” Amazon has not issued an official comment.
Amazon already operates its Lockers service in the U.K., allowing customers to direct their purchases to be delivered to a local retailer, rather than to their home or office. But offering delivery pickups at Tube stations would be advantageous to Amazon for the stations’ convenient and highly visible locations.
Amazon isn’t the only online retailer exploring click-and-collect delivery options for customers in the U.K. In September, eBay began a six-month trial with the British chain Argos for its own locker-style delivery system that allows customers to pick up their eBay purchases at one of 150 Argos retail stores.
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Date: November 22, 2013