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Royal Mail has announced that it will trial seven-day delivery service later this summer IBTimes UK

Royal Mail has announced that it is to pilot a seven-day delivery service for parcels 'in June for online shoppers through participating e-retailers' as demand for online goods increases.

The new Sunday service will only be available to those who are situated within the M25 initially, with a view to expanding the service to the rest of the UK if it is deemed a success.

It will also open almost 100 offices around the country on a Sunday afternoon, in late summer, so customers are able to pick up parcels they were unable to receive in the first instance.

Parcels make up roughly half of the British postal services £9.2bn (€11.3bn, $15.5bn) revenue and the move could be perceived as an attempt to boost profits as email takes over from conventional letter posts.

Royal Mail Chief Executive Moya Greene said: "Through these new Sunday services we are exploring ways to improve our flexibility and provide more options for people to receive items they have ordered online.

"The support of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has enabled us to respond quickly to a changing market."

The CWU represents workers in the postal and telecoms sector. The union and Royal Mail have had their disputes in the past, most notably last year when strikes were threatened over pay, pensions and the impact of privatisation on job security [and] terms and conditions.

However, that has since been resolved and the two seem to be pulling in the same direction once more.

"Royal Mail's announcement about expanding delivery and collection services to seven-days-a-week is an exciting innovation which we welcome," said Dave Ward, CWU's deputy general secretary.

"We have worked closely with Royal Mail to develop how best we can go forward to grow the company together and improve the services for customers."