CouriersPlease is ramping up operations across its national franchise network as the 2025 peak shipping season gets underway, with Black Friday and Christmas volumes expected to surpass all previous records for the Australian parcel industry.
Network at Scale
The courier and logistics provider operates one of Australia’s largest last-mile delivery networks, comprising more than 1,200 franchise and delivery partners, over 400 freight handlers, and 15 major depots spanning nearly 850 active territories. That footprint covers approximately 95 percent of the Australian population, positioning CouriersPlease as a critical link in the holiday supply chain for retailers of all sizes.
CouriersPlease sits within the FMH Group, which Pacific Equity Partners acquired for A$1.02 billion in March 2025. The investment has provided additional capital and strategic backing as the company scales to meet surging e-commerce demand.
Preparing for Record Volumes
The scale of the challenge is significant. Australia Post delivered nearly 103 million parcels over the Black Friday period alone in 2024, and industry forecasters expect 2025 to exceed that benchmark. The growth is being driven not only by consumer spending but also by a rapid expansion in the number of online sellers. CouriersPlease CEO Richard Thame earlier this year forecast an “unprecedented surge” in side-hustle e-commerce entrepreneurs adding incremental parcel volumes to the network.
Retailer expectations are rising in parallel. A CouriersPlease research study released earlier in 2025 found that 30 percent of Australian retailers had already introduced same-day or next-day shipping, while 82 percent planned to expand their shipping options further. Those commitments translate directly into higher throughput requirements during peak periods, when delivery speed and reliability are most visible to end consumers.
Franchise Model Advantage
The franchise-based operating model gives CouriersPlease a structural advantage during demand surges. Unlike centrally employed driver fleets, franchise partners are independent business operators with a direct financial stake in service performance. That alignment of incentives supports consistent delivery standards even as parcel volumes spike, because each franchisee benefits from handling additional volume within their territory.
The model also allows the network to flex capacity without the lead times associated with recruiting and onboarding employee drivers. Existing franchise partners can extend operating hours and deploy additional vehicles, while the company can activate new delivery partners in high-demand corridors relatively quickly.
Sustainability During Peak
CouriersPlease has also been working to ensure that peak season growth does not come at the expense of its environmental commitments. The company has been progressing toward carbon neutral operations by 2025, having already achieved LowCO2 certification. Maintaining that trajectory during the highest-volume period of the year will be a meaningful test of the sustainability framework the company has put in place.
What It Means for Shippers
For businesses preparing their own peak season logistics, the mobilisation of networks like CouriersPlease underscores the importance of locking in carrier capacity early. Shippers who diversify across multiple carriers and commit volumes in advance are better positioned to secure reliable service windows through December. With consumer expectations for fast, flexible delivery continuing to escalate, the carriers that can scale without sacrificing service quality will be the ones that earn repeat allocation from retailers heading into 2026.