Currys has stopped using Royal Mail for parcel deliveries “for the time being” after a wave of strikes at the postal company.
Electronics retailer chief executive Alex Baldock said Currys used Royal Mail for “relatively few, smaller packages”.
The deal is “easily switchable,” he said.
Royal Mail itself has brought forward the final Christmas mailing dates in response to the strike action.
Deliveries are likely to be delayed by the days Royal Mail staff are on strike on December 9th, 11th, 14th, 15th, 23rd and 24th and some shops have advised shoppers to order early, to be on the safe side.
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Widespread strikes at Royal Mail and other sectors such as railways planned for December will have a particularly hard impact on retailers in the run up to Christmas, the busiest time of the year, Mr Baldock told the BBC’s Laura Kuensberg programme.
But he said the temporary switch to an alternative delivery company would not cause additional problems.
“There is no big drama for us operationally. We plan stuff like this all the time,” he said.
Royal Mail workers have already taken several days of action this year demanding wage increases to keep up with inflation, which hit 11% in October.
Mr Baldock said Currys staff had received a 16% pay rise over the past year and nearly 40% over the past five years.
“I’d like to say it’s just because we’re nice people, and of course we are, but it’s also because we need to retain and motivate employees.”
He said Currys staff needed a high level of expertise to help clients and that the higher wages were the price they would pay “for having the right talent”.
The Telegraph, which first reported Currys leaving Royal Mail, said Royal Mail’s depots were already piling up undelivered mail.
Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer at Royal Mail, said the Communication Workers Union (CWU) “held Christmas for ransom”.
He said Royal Mail has contingency plans in place to “keep communities, businesses and the country connected”.
“We apologize to our customers for any disruptions and delays caused by the CWU strike action. We ask our customers to post early for Christmas to help us deliver Christmas,” said Mr. Landon.
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