Home Delivery Network (HDN), the UK’s largest dedicated home delivery and collection service, has announced a partnership with Fastway Couriers (Ireland), the leading Irish courier company, to extend the network of services it already provides to UK clients into the Republic of Ireland.

The partnership provides a cost competitive fully tracked 48-hour and 72-hour parcel delivery service throughout the Republic. The services have initially been taken up by Shop Direct Group, who transferred all of its business from An Post at the beginning of September following a competitive tender. Plans are also being considered to roll out further services including time-specified delivery.

Brian Gaunt, chief executive of HDN, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Fastway, the leading couriers in the Republic of Ireland. Fastway have a high service ethos which our customers demand and key to the consistent delivery of high service has been their real time tracking capability which Fastway have deployed across their network. This has been interfaced into the Home Delivery Network systems to provide clients and customers with real time parcel visibility from pick up in the UK to delivery in the Republic.”