UKREiiF Leeds

UKREiiF connects people, places, and businesses to accelerate and unlock sustainable, inclusive, and transformational investment.

This 3-day event is the perfect storm. Bringing together a spectacular array of key decision-makers from every area of the built environment, including the public sector, with every core UK city and region involved, alongside government, investors, funders, developers, housebuilders, and more.

UKREiiF has become the must-attend event in the industry

The sheer number of regional combined authorities, local councils, and government departments that attend UKREiiF every year – as well as the largest investors, developers, and end-users from across the UK (and internationally) – supports this statement.

Get your tickets to be amongst all the key players, influencers, and decision-makers within the investment and real estate markets who are preparing to gather in Leeds. mission statement: UKREiiF connects people, places, and businesses to accelerate and unlock sustainable, inclusive, and transformational investment.

As the 2025 event looms closer, the organisers are excited by the sheer size and potential of what’s on offer.

This 3-day extravaganza is a perfect storm – bringing together a spectacular array of key decision-makers from every area of the built environment: the public sector – with every core UK city and region involved – alongside government, investors, funders, developers, housebuilders, and more.

Check out these numbers for 2025:

16,000+ Event Attendees
2,500+ Fringe Event Attendees
1,250+ Speakers
60+ Stages
150+ Exhibitors
150+ Fringe Events
275+ Local Authorities Attending
1,750+ Investors Attending
1,000+ Occupiers Attending
1,750+ Developers Attending

The UK needs this platform for the public sector to showcase the scale of development progress and profile future investment opportunities to investors, developers, and occupiers from around the globe that are based right here in the UK – this event does just that.

Opportunity for Parcel Locker Networks

There is a $367B ‘Second Hand’ opportunity hiding for parcel locker networks, argues Francesco Tribuni (pictured below), Sales Manager and Industry Expert for Bloq.it

One of the joys of being part of the parcel industry is that innovation is continuously in the background: there’s no day, week or year without radical changes. Those changes are more often exogenous, therefore always enabling new opportunities in the first and last mile.

The most promising one I see nowadays is coming from circular economy: second hand, peer to peer, resale, repair services (…) call it whatever you’d like. It is a growing market, with global second-hand apparel market likely to reach $367B by 2029.

Francesco Tribuni

So, what makes this so appealing?

It is not the ‘resale’ in itself as we’re all accustomed to it, but rather the fact that we can upgrade from a neighbourhood market level, which takes place once per week and with limited local reach, to online platforms connected with hundreds of millions of users. At this moment in time, we can now buy and sell online to a worldwide audience in a few clicks, buying a shipping label for a few €/$/£/¥, and also building a private business that could escalate to a 6 figure level.

How can Logistics support it and add value?

From a customer perspective, and especially for private users, online sales/purchases will start from the usual checkout, where logistics is perceived as an integral and not separate part of the process. Amazon has accustomed us to feel the shipping process as an easy thing, consumers like EASY processes. Also, don’t forget that +90% of private sales will have an average order value lower than the original price, due to this shipping cost must be cheaper, to be cheaper it must be self-service and with fewer steps.

Parcel businesses have the potential to support and add value through C2C services where the standard ‘A to B flow’ (A = Pickup Address, and B = Delivery Address) is radically different. Let me list some below:

– Instead of ‘addresses’, A and B are Parcel shops & Parcel Lockers.
– Shippers will buy labels on demand, no account needed.
– Labelless and boxless shipments: Parcel shops or Drivers will label and box products to be shipped.
– Parcel Lockers can be a temporary storage space.
– A to B is valid for both outbound deliveries & returns.
– Shipment will be prepaid, and Shipping Costs will tend to be cheaper.
– One Delivery Driver can potentially handle 500 to 1K parcels per Day.
– Cross Border is the New Normal, consumers are more open to buy abroad if the product is made available at an affordable price and transit time.

The forecast is quite clear: parcel and postal business can ‘extend’ its portfolio and revenue stream by accessing the mass of citizens (consumers) that are willing to resell their preloved things gathering dust in their homes. The potential market of C2C is enormous. And how should we logistics operators ‘deliver’ this change?

I see 2 ways:
– First – develop as fast as possible what’s above with a reliable and updated tech stack (people value convenience) together with an extended OOH Network where Parcel Lockers can play a crucial role.
– Second – ‘transform’ the Logistic Arm of a Second Hand Marketplace. This is what Amazon, Alibaba and most recently Vinted have done in recent years, after using Couriers as suppliers for years.

Lastly, a final thought about parcel lockers. It’s easy to call them ‘machines of bent metal’, but the real truth is that a smart parcel locker is the tech and logistics upgrade of a delivery driver (that won’t end nor replace their job):
– More deliveries per day.
– Little to no failed attempts.
– Customized UX while picking/returning a Parcel.
– Savings on Shipping Costs.
– Modularity can enable additional parcel capacity for peak periods

I’m biased on this topic, I know. But it’s safe to say that the future of every online order is already here.

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UK-EU Deal Boosts Cross Channel Freight

The Port of Dover has welcomed the UK-EU deal announced today, which represents a significant and positive step forward in resetting and strengthening the vital cross-Channel economic relationship. As the UK’s primary gateway for trade with the European Union – handling approximately one third of all UK-EU goods trade – Dover is uniquely placed to see the tangible benefits that reduced border frictions will bring.

“We particularly welcome commitments to simplifying trading and travel arrangements and removing barriers such as Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) checks on animal and plant products, which we hope to see implemented as quickly as possible,” said a Port spokesperson.

Short Straits

“This deal directly reflects the priorities discussed at our recent Short Straits Summit, where leaders across maritime, logistics, infrastructure, government, and business called for frictionless trade, regulatory cooperation, and a shared commitment to innovation and decarbonisation. An improvement in border processes will not only restore confidence for businesses and investors but also drive economic growth and supply chain resilience, and we are pleased to see these objectives recognised in today’s agreement.

“Looking ahead, we are committed to working with the UK Government, French Government and European Commission to implement this deal effectively and maximise shared prosperity either side of the Channel. Today’s announcement marks a fresh chapter in UK-EU collaboration, and the Port of Dover stands ready to deliver the full potential of this renewed partnership for the benefit of communities, businesses, and economies on both sides of the Channel.”

Pride of Burgundy arrives at Dover

As the UK’s busiest international ferry port and a vital gateway for the movement of people and trade, Dover handles £144 billion of trade per year, 33% of UK trade in goods with the EU and welcomes over 11 million passengers.

Supply Chain Agility

Matt Gregory, Senior Vice President of Voice & Mobility at Infios, told us: “With border checks easing on UK food exports to the EU, local food growers and manufacturers will be celebrating this opportunity for smoother sales with Europe.

“To be able to meet this potential increased demand, supply chain agility will be critical, especially in the food industry. Perishable items such as meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables require strict temperature and humidity control from the moment they leave the farm to the moment they reach the consumer. This need for consistency adds a layer of complexity to logistics.

“Technology will be critical to ensure the global supply chain can adapt to these changes. Tools such as predictive analytics can help anticipate supply issues before they occur, while real-time inventory tracking allows businesses to stay ahead of shortages and avoid overstocking.

“Warehouse Management Systems can also provide retailers with a clear view of what’s in stock, where it is and when it needs replenishing, helping prevent both waste and missed sales. When integrated with Transportation Management Systems, delivery routes can be optimized, arrival schedules communicated in advance and order cycles better aligned with consumer demand.

“When factoring in temperature sensitive products, IoT-enabled monitoring systems are invaluable in tracking temperature, humidity and vehicle location in real time. This not only ensures consistent environmental conditions but also provides immediate alerts when deviations occur, allowing teams to respond before products are compromised.”

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