Real estate transformation specialists, Infinium Logistics Solutions (ILS), has agreed a long-term partnership to develop urban logistics services within Q-Park's UK car park portfolio.

The programme will see the creation of Hyperlocal Logistics Hubs in many of the UK cities where Q-Park operates. Each car park will have an area transformed by ILS for their own clients to operate final mile delivery services and will also see the introduction of parcel lockers within a unique customer pick up zone. In addition, a number of sites will see the creation of Dark Stores, which exist solely for the storage and distribution of goods, typically despatched by a zero-emission vehicle within 10 minutes of orders being placed.  

The first Hyperlocal Logistics Hub will be operational by the end of November which consists of a 4,500 square feet hub for cargo bike parking and charging located at Harley Street, London W1.  Two other central London sites are currently being prepared to be launched by the end of this year. At Harley Street, ILS will create secure, segregated areas for multiple users to park and charge cargo bikes and e-bikes.

Amarjit Pall Channel Director for Hubs at ILS has welcomed the new partnership. "As soon as we started surveying Q-Park's locations, we knew that they would be suitable for our client's growth plans. Working with the team at Q-Park has been very refreshing listening to their corporate social responsibility key values, committed to making a difference by improving the environment. They have already invested in many different areas such as LED lighting, air quality programmes, EV charging and car sharing programmes. Having ILS deliver final mile logistics solutions will add even more to their environmental credentials."

ILS will also secure space at every Q-Park (UK) location to create parcel locker zones consisting of multiple parcel lockers which allows customers the ability to collect and return their online shopping at ease. Jonathan White, Channel Director for Out of Home at ILS said, "Having a defined area within a car park that has all of the major parcel lockers in one place makes total sense. We will create a zone for customers to easily identify where they can visit to collect and return parcels from. It creates an additional service for Q-Park to offer their customers, many of which use the car parks on a daily basis. Not only does a parcel locker become a consumer's friend, but it's also another key piece of the jigsaw to reduce carbon emissions in cities. InPost reported that a single parcel locker generates 66% less CO2 than delivering a parcel directly to a home in urban areas. These reductions are even higher in rural areas, where it reaches 90%."

"We are very excited to have Infinium Logistics Solutions onboard to create additional revenue streams for Q-Park as well as implementing added value for our clients and improving the environment" said James Pollock MRICS, Head of Acquisitions & Real Estate, Q-Park UK & Ireland. "We have had various discussions with Infinium over the past 18 months and over that time, the delivery sector has seen ongoing growth and with Infinium's knowledge of the industry we couldn't hold back on the opportunities that have been presented."

The final mile delivery sector is seeing a significant rise in couriers using battery operated cargo bikes and e-bikes, especially with evolution of Ultra Low Emission Zones and Clean Air Zones in Cities around Europe. These environmentally friendly delivery vehicles also cut carbon emissions by 90% compared with diesel vans, leading to improved air quality and supporting the government's 10-point plan. It was recently reported that the global market value of cargo bikes will rise to 2.4 bln euros by 2031.

Q-Park is a leading parking operator with high quality car parks across the UK, with over 70 parking facilities across all of the major cities.

About Infinium Logistics Solutions

Infinium Logistics Solutions (ILS) develops prime real estate for sustainable logistics solutions, throughout the UK and globally, with country operations in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland, and support operations throughout the rest of Europe and North America.

ILS aim is to reduce carbon emissions, leading to improved air quality and the health and well-being of urban populations, through the implementation of zero emission delivery enablers and innovative final mile solutions.

ILS repurpose car parks and other underutilised assets for hyperlocal logistics centres used for cargo bike parking & charging, e-fulfilment services and courier operations. In addition, ILS offers location space and programme management for the installation of agnostic and closed parcel locker networks. ILS also provide commercial fleets short and long term parking and manage electrification transition projects through its own fleet hubs, which include the provision of the charging infrastructure, welfare facilities, food and beverage and other support services.

About Q-Park

Q-Park is one of the three leading providers of parking facilities in West Europe, whether wholly-owned, leased, managed or in a hybrid business model.  Q-Park is notable for its quality approach and has a portfolio comprising over 570,000 parking spaces in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, France, Ireland and Denmark.