Many parcel collection points in France are overwhelmed as Christmas approaches
Heavy customer traffic and farmer road blockades add to problems faced by delivery networks
La Poste reports a six percent increase in the number of packages this Christmas
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Many parcel collection points across France are facing heavy customer traffic as Christmas approaches - and ongoing farmer road blockades mean some delivery networks are struggling to cope.
La Poste expects to deliver more than 180 million parcels across November and December 2025, an increase of six percent compared with last year.
This includes 100 million Colissimo packages, 60 million via Chronopost and 20 million through DPD France.
Farmer blockades causing delays
Recent farmer road blockades on the A63 at the Franco-Spanish border have led to delays to trucks transporting goods such as Christmas parcels.
Some delivery warehouses and industrial areas in the south-west of the country are inaccessible due to the blockades, causing "a lot of delays" and "several delivery cancellations", Translire Transport Express workers told France 3.
"Today, we are not paralysed, but we are not as efficient as we should be," said Alexandre Blaevoet, a sales director for Transports Lataste.
Delivery times have increased by an average of between 20% and 30% due to diversions and traffic jams.
Farmers are angry over the government response to lumpy skin disease outbreaks in cattle, as well as the Mercosur free-trade agreement between the EU and South America.
A 'Christmas truce' is being called for by unions, although anger over these issues means protests are expected to continue after Christmas.
Overwhelmed collection points
Commercial collection points are also under pressure, particularly those in built-up areas.
At La D茅fense in Hauts-de-Seine, queues at the Pick & Smile point can stretch for several hours, reports Le Parisien.
鈥淲e have over 5,000 parcels,鈥� said manager St茅phane Dehais.
Elsewhere, newspaper Le Figaro reports that collection points are issuing similar warnings across the country:
A sports and workwear shop in Sathonay-Camp, Rh么ne, alerted customers on social media to collect parcels promptly as its daily volume exceeds 500.
In Bressuire, Deux-S猫vres, a small e-cigarette shop displaying a 鈥�Point relais satur茅鈥� (overwhelmed collection points) notice manages around 1,500 parcels a month in a 20-square-metre space.
Industry changes are compounding the issue.
Mondial Relay, a leading French out-of-home delivery network, has closed around 3,500 points this year, reducing the overall number of locations by 2,500.
The company has expanded its network of lockers, now numbering 9,000, to reflect customer demand: surveys indicate 93 per cent of those who have used a locker want to repeat the experience.
However, locker capacity is limited and not all parcels can be delivered in this way.
Some businesses report financial benefits from the parcel boom. A small bar-tabac in Maine-et-Loire noted that Christmas parcel handling could generate around 鈧�1,500, compared with 鈧�500 at other times of year.
Despite the congestion, delivery companies such as Amazon and DHL are confident that all parcels will reach recipients before Christmas.
La Poste told Le Parisien that there is no cause for concern at present. Customers should be patient and anticipate longer waits at collection points, but the seasonal rush is unlikely to prevent gifts arriving on time.
However, customers are encouraged to collect their parcels as soon as they arrive at collection points, to minimise the potential for further delays.
