InPost and Ann Summers add locker delivery and returns at checkout

InPost and Ann Summers launch locker delivery and returns at checkout

On 13 October 2026, InPost announced a partnership with the British retailer Ann Summers that lets Ann Summers' online customers choose 48-hour delivery to an InPost Locker at checkout and make returns through InPost's network of over 16,000 lockers². The sources reviewed describe a single retailer deal and do not give fees, rollout dates or any plan for other brands^2,5. For UK sellers, the decision depends on their own failed-delivery and returns costs and on InPost's seller terms, which the sources do not publish.

What happened: Ann Summers and InPost launch locker delivery

InPost, "the UK's leading out-of-home parcel locker provider"², announced the partnership with Ann Summers on 13 October 2026². Ann Summers customers can now choose 48-hour delivery to an InPost Locker at checkout, select the location and collect at a time that suits them². They can also make returns through InPost's network of over 16,000 lockers².

Trade press reported the launch the same day. ChannelX¹, Retail Rewired³ and Logistics Manager⁵ all dated their stories 13 October 2026. The Retail Technology Innovation Hub story is listed under 14 October 2026⁴, although its web address carries 13 October. This article uses 13 October as the launch date because the InPost release and most trade reports give that date^1,2,3,5.

Who is affected

The arrangement applies to Ann Summers customers and to the parcel network they will use. ChannelX lists the shoppers the partnership targets: those "living in a flatshare or university accommodation, living with parents, buying a gift or simply preferring to collect their purchase themselves"¹. InPost says locker delivery "offers an alternative to the front door" for those groups².

The launch rests on InPost's own research. The release says "nearly 60% of Brits experience delivery-related stress" and that "consumers spending an average of 3.2 hours every month waiting at home for deliveries"². Logistics Manager says that research was "conducted in January 2026"⁵. The figures come from the company selling the service, and no independent source for them was reviewed.

What changes for sellers, and when

For Ann Summers customers, locker delivery is an extra option. Ann Summers CEO Maria Hollins says it "gives them another simple and flexible option, putting even more choice into their hands"². Home delivery is still offered: the release describes locker delivery as "another option alongside traditional home delivery"².

InPost UK's Chief Commercial Officer, Jon Nicholson, frames the move around choice: "Customers expect choice throughout the shopping journey, and delivery should be no different"². He adds that "giving people more options at checkout creates a more flexible, modern shopping journey"². That is InPost's view of the market and not a measured result.

What sellers should do now

Our recommendation is to treat this as a checkout option to test, not a default to copy. Before deciding, we suggest the following steps.

• Measure your current costs. Count failed deliveries and returns, and note which postcodes and product sizes cause them. Then compare those costs with an InPost locker option.
• Ask InPost for its seller terms. Request the fees, eligibility rules and integration requirements for your checkout platform in writing before committing.
• Check your parcel sizes. InPost's returns page says "our largest lockers can fit parcels that are up to 41cm x 38 cm x 64cm" and accepts a maximum weight of "15kg"⁶. Compare these limits with your heaviest and bulkiest lines.
• Test the customer journey. Place test orders and returns through the checkout and returns flow before you offer the option publicly.

Returns are the part most sellers will need to understand. InPost's returns page says the customer tells the retailer they will return with InPost, and InPost then emails a QR code⁶. The customer scans the code at a locker, which opens it, places the parcel inside, closes the door and presses "I'm finished" on the screen⁶. The courier adds the label when it collects the parcel, so the customer does not print one⁶. The page advises customers to check the retailer's return policy for refund information⁶. This describes InPost's general service and is undated⁶.

A ChannelX related-post headline reports that "Superdry delivery costs cut 19% when 1 in 5 customers chose InPost Lockers"¹. We retrieved only the headline, so treat it as a single data point rather than a benchmark for your own business.

What is not yet known

The sources leave several points open:

• Fees. None of the sources state what InPost charges Ann Summers or its customers, or whether any charge applies to the shopper.
• Rollout. No source gives a phased schedule beyond the 13 October 2026 launch.
• Other brands. No source confirms that other UK retailers will adopt the same model.
• Ann Summers returns process. The labelless process described above comes from InPost's general returns page⁶. No source confirms it for Ann Summers specifically.
• Ann Summers' own statement. We did not retrieve an Ann Summers newsroom release. The quotations come from InPost's release and from trade reports that repeat it^2,3.

InPost's terms can change. We checked its pages on 14 October 2026, and sellers should confirm current terms with InPost and read the official InPost resources page before making a commercial decision^2,6.