The four largest Dutch cities are working on a covenant with parcel carriers and e-commerce retailers to gain more control over the rapid growth of parcel lockers and pickup points. Dutch newspaper FD reported this today. The trigger is the explosive increase in parcel lockers while municipalities still lack clear spatial planning policies. At the same time, cities see lockers as an opportunity to reduce the nuisance from delivery vans. The covenant aims to organize this development and will be signed this Friday.
For logistics professionals, the key message is that parcel lockers are becoming a permanent part of urban logistics policy, but not without conditions. Municipalities want to prevent lockers from appearing uncoordinated in public spaces. In historic city centers, they will temporarily be removed from the streets. First, cities want to actively seek locations inside existing buildings, such as supermarkets, bike parking facilities, libraries, and sports clubs. This means future growth will primarily take place indoors or in semi-public locations.
The covenant primarily commits to collaboration and does not yet include binding targets or quotas. Still, the direction is clear: municipalities want stronger control over locations, distribution, and cooperation. A key principle is that parcel lockers should be open to multiple carriers: “white label.” This directly affects the operational strategies of parcel companies. Exclusive locker networks will come under pressure, and interoperability is becoming a policy objective.
The background is both economic and logistical. Parcel carriers are investing heavily in out-of-home delivery because home delivery remains expensive, and market growth has slowed. Parcel lockers reduce vehicle miles traveled, lower labor costs, and improve first-time delivery rates. Meanwhile, pressure on public space continues to grow. In Amsterdam alone, more than 125,000 parcels are delivered daily, and delivery vans stop around 80,000 times on the street.
What should be arranged in a covenant? A covenant explicitly aims to drive behavioural change: more deliveries via parcel pick-up points and fewer home deliveries. This should reduce traffic pressure, emissions, and costs, while maintaining service levels for consumers. A key agreement is that parcel lockers are to be “open”. Carriers must be able to use each other’s lockers at market-based rates. This requires cooperation and data sharing between competitors.
The spatial dimension is equally important. Cities should aim to ensure that every resident has access to a parcel point or locker within walking or cycling distance, preferably near public transport stops or shopping centres, to prevent delivery inequality. At the same time, municipalities do not want parcel lockers in public spaces in historic city centres, which means indoor solutions and integration into urban development are needed. Agreements on monitoring and joint learning between public and private parties are essential.
For parcel carriers, this covenant marks the start of the next phase: a shift from rapid rollout to regulated network development. Location strategy, carrier cooperation, and integration with urban functions will become crucial. Growth remains possible, but within spatial constraints and with stronger public oversight. Parcel lockers are shifting from commercial innovation to urban infrastructure.
Walther Ploos van Amstel.
Read more: What role can municipalities play in implementing parcel lockers?