Parcel delivery firm DPD says it will create 6,000 jobs in the UK in response to the “unprecedented boom” in online shopping brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company, which works with retailers including John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Amazon and Morrisons, is recruiting 3,500 new drivers and 2,500 other positions including warehouse and management roles.

It said it was investing £200m this year to expand its capacity for next-day parcel delivery, including £60m on 15 new regional depots – 10 more than originally planned for 2020.

The announcement is a rare bright spot for UK jobs at a time when the coronavirus-driven downturn afflicting the economy has resulted in big companies announcing plans to axe thousands of workers over recent weeks.

It also appears to illustrate how the lockdown has accelerated the shift in retail away from the high street towards online orders.

DPD chief executive Dwain McDonald said the company was preparing for a “new normal” in which there is a greater reliance on e-commerce.

The company said that even before the lockdown announced in March, demand had already risen as consumers become increasingly reliant on online deliveries.

It said it expected growth to continue this year even though non-essential shops had now been allowed to reopen.

DPD said the new investments and recruitment would be in place before its Black Friday and Christmas shopping peak.

Mr McDonald said: “We are experiencing the biggest boom in online retailing in the UK’s history and we are making this unprecedented investment in our infrastructure and people to ensure we can continue to meet the high levels of demand for our services.”

He said DPD had already seen rapid growth over the last decade.

“But what we have seen in recent months is potentially a much more significant shift in behaviour, and we believe elements of it will be permanent,” Mr McDonald added.

The announcement comes days after official figures suggesting more than 600,000 workers had lost their jobs during the lockdown.

Recent weeks have seen a slew of big companies including British Gas owner Centrica, oil giant BP, and airlines such as British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair announcing thousands of job cuts.

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