GeoPost UK has announced plans for a £12 million expansion of its national hub in the Black Country.

The postal firm is also launching a recruitment drive at its Oldbury base to increase the number of workers by 10 per cent to 660.

Global Chief executive Paul-Marie Chavanne gave the expansion the go-ahead after visiting the firm’s Smethwick-based UK headquarters in June.

Of the £12m being invested, £2m will go on the physical expansion itself and £8m on new sorting machinery. The rest will be spent on equipment for the hub.

At the moment the sorting equipment at Oldbury has the capacity to process 300,000 parcels per night but the investment will increase this to 400,000.

The expansion will be completed by Christmas and operational by this time next year. GeoPost UK operates under the brands DPD and Interlink Express.