Amazon has announced a same-day pick-up service in partnership with Smiths News, the newspaper and magazine distribution arm of Connect Group.

With the new service, called Pass My Parcel, customers will be able to order goods from Amazon up to 11.45am and collect them from one of 500 newsagents and cornershops from 4pm the same day. In addition, customers will have the option of Express Morning collection, with orders placed up to 7.45pm available for guaranteed collection the next morning no later than 9am.

Both options will be available for free to Amazon Prime customers until the end of the year, with users receiving a code via email to present at their pick-up location to ensure they receive the correct parcel.

The partnership expands the number of pick-up locations in the UK to over 6,000, with deliveries to Amazon Lockers having more than doubled in the past year as more customers enjoy the flexibility the service provides.

“This is our fastest pick-up service yet,” said Christopher North, managing director of Amazon.co.uk. “We know that Prime customers love fast delivery and the convenience to pick up their order at the time and place that suits them best. This new service brings together both of those great benefits.

“Our intention is to keep rapidly adding to the many thousands of existing pick-up locations to ensure that customers all over the UK are provided with as much choice as possible when it comes to the delivery of their Amazon order.”

“We are delighted to be working with Amazon at the launch of Pass my Parcel,” said Mark Cashmore, group chief executive at Connect Group. “Smiths News shares the same passion for customer service and because we visit thousands of local retailers every day, we are uniquely placed to deliver a twice daily pick-up service that is second to none in speed and convenience.”