Parcel deliveries surged on Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales

An Post parcel deliveries rose by 17 per cent last week versus the same period a year ago as Irish consumers took advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday online sales.

The company said it delivered more than 500,000 parcels last week, with about 50 per cent of the total volume originating in Ireland.

"We were all set for a big online shopping surge round Black Friday and it didn't disappoint," said Garrett Bridgeman, managing director of An Post mails and parcels.

Of the 50 per cent of parcels originating from overseas, more than 60 per cent was from the UK with the balance coming from across Europe, the US and Asia.

Superdrug eyes Irish expansion after opening seventh outlet here

---

Commission to blacklist countries that produce fake goods

---

Shutters come down on 220-year-old family retailer in Antrim

---

Fashion site run by Irish entrepreneurs seeks £150,000 investment

---

The figures show that there was a 21 per cent rise in toys and games delivered over the week compared to the same period a year earlier, while clothing items were up 15 per cent and homewares, up 14 per cent.

“The pre-Christmas push by e-tailers started earlier this year. The kids were barely back in school when the early discounts and special offers got under way. And there’s no sign of a let-up right across Europe, with strong volume and revenue increases everywhere, and smartphone becoming the main channel of choice for online shoppers,” Mr Bridgeman said.

Recent figures from Bank of Ireland show a record 12.38 million transactions occurred on Black Friday, an increase of 15 per cent on the same day last year. Cyber Monday wasn’t far behind with 11.9 million transactions being recorded – a 10 per cent increase in the number of payments the bank processed last year.