Rory Stewart MP for Penrith and The Border visited the Hermes on Kingstown Industrial Estate as the depot prepares for the busy Christmas period.
Mr Stewart was given a tour of the depot, which handles on average around 17,000 parcels a day. As Christmas is approaching the depot is gearing up for its busy period – when around 31,000 parcels will come through its depot each day.
Staff at the site explained how parcels are sorted in the depot and travel across the country for delivery. Key to this are the warehouse loaders and self-employed drivers – Hermes is the largest provider of self-employment opportunities in the UK. On average 220 couriers will deliver parcels from the Carlisle depot, which increases up to 290 at peak periods.
After the visit Mr Stewart said: “It was great to meet the staff and drivers at Hermes and learn more about how their business works. I enjoyed being given the chance to go behind the scenes and seeing how the seemingly seamless process from clicking on a website to home deliver works.
“The depot is a good source of employment for local people. Penrith and The Border has a proud workforce of self-employed people and I was particularly interested to meet the drivers, who make their work fit their lifestyle.”
