This year the company will deliver right up to Tuesday 23 December, and in certain cases parcels can even be collected on Christmas Eve. With a network of almost 9,000 pickup points and reinforced capacity, the company is ready to handle the expected double-digit growth in shipment volumes compared with last year's record season.
The run-up to Christmas is traditionally the busiest time of the year for carriers. In response to the needs of recipients, PPL will therefore deliver right up to Tuesday 23 December. Recipients can also collect their shipments on Christmas Eve at selected PPL boxes and PPL shops, depending on the opening hours of the pickup point concerned.
“If a parcel is to make it under your Christmas tree in time, dropping it off early enough is crucial. If an e-shop hands a shipment over to us on Monday 22 December, we deliver more than 96% of such shipments by the following day, that is by 23 December, either directly to the recipient's address or to one of our PPL shops or boxes,” says Petr Horák, CEO of PPL CZ.
Transport capacity and an extensive network are ready for the season
PPL enters the key period of the year with 2,000 drivers and 1,500 employees. Its pickup network is ready for the surge as well: the company expanded it this year and it now numbers almost 9,000 locations.
“Recipients can currently use more than 4,600 PPL shops, over 2,200 PPL boxes and around 2,000 AlzaBoxes to collect their gifts. Over the course of the year we have increased the number of pickup points in order to improve delivery flexibility and free up more space for shipments. At the same time, we are not planning to open our boxes to other carriers in the run-up to Christmas. We want to be sure that enough free compartments remain available primarily for our own recipients during the busiest period, so that their parcels are delivered exactly where they expect them,” explains Petr Horák. “Thanks to our extensive network, thorough preparation throughout the year and the commitment of all our employees, we are superbly prepared for the season. We can even onboard new e-shops quickly, so that they too can deliver to their customers reliably and worry-free at the peak of demand,” adds Horák.
Given the expected rise in shipment volumes, PPL is changing the rules for storing shipments at PPL shops for the first time this year. During the period of increased demand, shipments will now be held at partner bricks-and-mortar stores for a maximum of 4 calendar days instead of the current 7.
“In previous years some of our business partners' outlets were not only filled to the ceiling, but we were occasionally forced to redirect shipments to other pickup points for capacity reasons. That is exactly what we want to avoid this Christmas. At the same time, our data tells us that the change will in practice affect only a few per cent of recipients, because the vast majority collect their shipments within four days of storage,” explains Horák. The existing rules continue to apply to PPL boxes, that is up to 72 hours, and up to 48 hours for third-party boxes from receipt of the notification.
Czechs prefer parcel boxes
Czechs have long preferred delivery to a parcel box, and its popularity has been growing in recent years. Four in ten shoppers now choose this type of delivery and their share is rising year on year. Conversely, the number of those who have their orders delivered to an address is falling year on year. PPL is responding to this demand not only by increasing the number of boxes, but also by positioning them strategically so that they are available in smaller towns and villages throughout the Czech Republic, within 10 minutes on foot or by car for most of the population. The boxes are always sited with respect for the surrounding space, local residents, recipients, technical infrastructure and the history of the location.
“Flexibility and adaptability have long been a matter of course for us, which is why we introduced another practical improvement this year. We have launched the Favourite pickup point feature, which lets recipients set a pickup point in advance in the mojePPL app; we will leave their shipment there if they are not at the chosen address at the time of delivery. The option is available for pickup points near the original delivery address, so recipients can collect their shipment at the place and time that suits them best,” concludes Petr Horák, CEO of PPL CZ.
Last Christmas broke records
PPL expects the volume of shipments processed in this year's run-up to Christmas to exceed last year's figures significantly, with year-on-year growth of up to double digits. Every year the company handles the largest volumes during Black Friday and in the period just before Christmas. “During Black Friday we expect shipment volumes to rise by as much as half compared with normal operations. Thanks above all to the commitment of our employees, however, we take these hectic periods in our stride every year. I am confident that this year will be no different. Given all the measures we have put in place ahead of the Christmas peak, we can safely say that we are ready for the period ahead,” adds Horák.
Last year PPL saw a record end to the year, with its network at its busiest in December. The highest number of shipments recorded in the network in a single day came in the second week of December, although PPL came close to that record several times during the peak as early as November. In 2024 the company also passed the milestone of 60 million shipments, delivering on the next working day in the vast majority of cases.
Prague, 21 November 2025