Hermes UK changed its name to Evri in March 2022 to represent what the company described as a major business transformation following significant investment and two years of rapid growth.
The official reason for the Hermes rebrand centred on creating a new company culture, improving customer service, expanding courier benefits and strengthening its environmental commitments.
However, the name change also followed sustained criticism of Hermes’ customer service and parcel handling, so many customers and commentators interpreted it as a reputational reset.
There is no official statement confirming that complaints were the sole reason Hermes changed to Evri. The most accurate explanation is that the company wanted a new identity for a changing business, while also benefiting from greater distance from the reputation associated with the Hermes name.
Key Takeaways:
- Hermes UK became Evri in March 2022.
- The company said the Hermes-to-Evri name change reflected investment, growth and business transformation
- Evri announced customer-service improvements, courier pensions and environmental commitments alongside the rebrand
- Criticism of Hermes’ service contributed to the public perception that the rebrand was intended to repair its reputation
- Evri did not officially state that complaints were the only reason for changing the name
- Evri was the rebranded Hermes UK delivery operation, not a completely unrelated courier company
- Evri’s ownership and corporate structure have changed since the 2022 rebrand
When Did Hermes Become Evri?
Hermes UK officially rebranded as Evri in March 2022. The new name, logo and visual identity were introduced across the company’s locations, vehicles and ParcelShops.
Evri’s current company history also identifies March 2022 as the point at which Hermes became Evri. The business itself is much older: its roots can be traced to a home-delivery operation established by Grattan Mail Order in Bradford in 1974.
A Brief Hermes-To-Evri Timeline
| Date | Development |
| 1974 | The delivery business began as part of Grattan Mail Order in Bradford |
| 1999 | Grattan and Freeman’s combined their delivery networks to form Parcelnet |
| 2008 | Parcelnet became Hermes Parcelnet Ltd |
| 2021 | Hermes launched a new environmental, social and governance strategy |
| March 2022 | Hermes UK rebranded as Evri |
| August 2024 | Apollo-managed funds completed their acquisition of Evri |
| October 2025 | Evri completed its merger with DHL eCommerce UK |
| 2026 | DHL eCommerce UK began operating under the Evri Premium identity within Evri Group |
The later ownership and merger developments did not cause the original Hermes UK name change because they occurred more than two years after the Hermes rebrand.
What Was the Official Reason for the Hermes Rebrand?
The official reason Hermes changed its name was to mark a broader transformation of the company.
In its rebrand announcement, Evri said the change followed significant investment and two years of dramatic growth. Chief executive Martijn de Lange described it as more than a name change and said it represented the company’s intention to create more responsible delivery experiences.
The announcement therefore positioned the Hermes-to-Evri name change as a forward-looking business decision rather than simply a cosmetic change to the logo.
Business Growth and Investment
Parcel-delivery demand increased substantially during the expansion of online shopping, particularly around the pandemic period. Hermes said its growth and investment had led to a major transformation programme across the business.
The company wanted its public identity to reflect its increased scale, changing operations and future ambitions. Evri’s later corporate history described continued investment in its people, technology, depots, hubs and delivery capacity.
The reason for the Hermes rebrand was therefore partly strategic: the company believed the old identity no longer represented the organisation it wanted to become.
A New Company Culture
Evri said the rebrand would introduce a new culture and a better way of operating. It subsequently presented values focused on responsible behaviour, adaptability, cost leadership and delivering for customers.
A name change alone cannot establish a new corporate culture. However, rebranding can give a company a clear point from which to introduce new expectations, internal values and public commitments.
In this case, Evri linked the new identity directly to its plans to change how the business operated and how customers experienced its services.
Customer-Service Investment
Customer service was an important part of the official rebrand announcement.
Evri said it intended to establish a fully UK-based customer-service team, add 200 specialists at local depots, improve its chatbot and make more telephone lines available to customers who preferred to speak to someone directly.
These announcements are relevant when answering why Hermes changed to Evri because they show that the company presented the rebrand as part of a broader operational programme.
However, the announcements should not be treated as proof that every customer-service problem was immediately resolved. They were commitments and planned investments accompanying the new brand.
Later regulatory and consumer research continued to identify problems across the UK parcel-delivery market. In Ofcom’s 2025 research, Evri recorded a 31% satisfaction score among customers who had contacted or complained to the company about a delivery issue.
Courier Pensions and Parental Leave
The Hermes rebrand was also announced alongside new benefits for eligible couriers.
The company said it would automatically enrol eligible self-employed-plus couriers into a pension scheme and introduce maternity and paternity leave for that group. Evri described the pension plan as an annual investment of more than £7 million.
Linking the Evri launch with courier benefits helped the company present the name change as part of a wider organisational transformation rather than a stand-alone marketing campaign.
Environmental Commitments
Environmental, social and governance commitments were another part of the official reason for the Hermes rebrand.
At the time, Evri said it would continue expanding its use of alternative fuels, renewable electricity and more sustainable buildings.
It also connected the brand with a mission to make sending, receiving and returning parcels convenient without unnecessarily increasing environmental harm.
These commitments have continued to develop. Evri’s current sustainability reporting covers the enlarged Evri Group and includes its vehicle fleet, renewable-electricity use and longer-term emissions plans.
Did Hermes Change Its Name Because of Complaints?
Hermes did not officially say it changed its name solely because of customer complaints.
The company’s announcement focused on investment, rapid growth, business transformation, customer-service plans, courier support and environmental responsibility.
Nevertheless, the Hermes name had become associated with criticism involving customer service and parcel mishandling. Contemporary coverage explicitly placed the Evri announcement in the context of those allegations.
This explains why many people believed the rebrand was at least partly intended to distance the company from its previous reputation.
The distinction matters:
- It is confirmed that the company wanted a new identity for a transformed business
- It is confirmed that Hermes faced significant public criticism
- It is reasonable to infer that a fresh identity had reputational value
- It is not confirmed that complaints were the sole or officially admitted reason for the change
Why Customers Saw the Change as a Reputational Reset
Corporate rebrands often attract scepticism when a company already has strong negative associations.
In Hermes’ case, some customers viewed the new Evri name as an attempt to leave past criticism behind without necessarily changing the underlying delivery network.
Articles published around the time of the change questioned whether the new branding would be accompanied by meaningful service improvements.
That does not mean the official transformation programme was fictitious. It means the company’s stated commercial reasons and the public’s interpretation can both be relevant.
A rebrand can serve several purposes at once:
- modernising an outdated identity
- supporting a new corporate strategy
- signalling investment or organisational change
- differentiating a business from related companies
- attracting new customers or commercial partners
- reducing the influence of negative associations
For Hermes UK, the available evidence supports a combination of transformation and reputation management rather than a single simple explanation.
Official Reason Versus Public Interpretation
| Question | Officially Confirmed | Public Or Editorial Interpretation |
| Why did Hermes change to Evri? | To represent investment, growth and business transformation | To create distance from the Hermes reputation |
| Were customer-service problems relevant? | New customer-service investment was announced | Complaints made a fresh identity commercially useful |
| Was Evri a completely new company? | No, it was a rebrand of Hermes UK | The new name made the company appear more distinct |
| Did the rebrand guarantee better service? | No guarantee was provided | Customers expected operational improvement |
| Were complaints the sole reason? | Evri did not say this | Some commentators treated reputation as the main motive |
What Does the Name Evri Mean?
Evri is a stylised spelling of the word “every”. It is not generally presented as an acronym.
The company used the name to support the idea of creating responsible delivery experiences for “Evri one” and “Evri where”. This phrasing formed part of its attempt to position the courier as accessible, inclusive and relevant to a wide range of senders, retailers and parcel recipients.
The name also gave the business a distinctive identity that was easier to separate from Hermes-branded companies elsewhere in Europe.
Why Does the Evri Logo Use Different Letter Styles?
The Evri visual identity used varying letter forms to represent individuality and the different people involved in the delivery network.
This included customers, employees, couriers, retailers and business partners. The flexible typography supported the idea that there was no single standard version of “every” person.
The design therefore reinforced the meaning of the Evri name rather than functioning as an unrelated logo change.
Is Evri the Same Company as Hermes?
Yes. Evri is the parcel-delivery business that was previously known as Hermes UK.
The Hermes-to-Evri name change did not mean that Hermes closed and an unrelated courier immediately took over its parcels. The existing UK delivery operation continued under a different brand identity.
Evri’s own history describes the change as a rebrand from Hermes UK, while continuing to trace the company’s origins through Parcelnet and Grattan Mail Order.
What Stayed the Same After the Name Change?
Although branding changed, much of the underlying delivery infrastructure continued, including:
- the courier network
- depots and distribution hubs
- ParcelShops and lockers
- relationships with major retailers
- parcel tracking and delivery systems
- the company’s existing history and operations
Some Hermes-related email domains and technical references also remained in use during and after the transition. Evri’s fraud guidance, for example, has continued to identify certain Hermes-related email domains as potentially genuine company addresses.
What Was Intended to Change?
Evri associated the rebrand with changes to:
- customer support
- internal company values
- courier pensions and parental leave
- environmental strategy
- technology and parcel capacity
- the overall customer experience
The important distinction is that Evri was not a new courier replacing Hermes. It was an existing business adopting a new brand while announcing a wider transformation programme.
Did the Rebrand Have Anything to Do With Hermès?
Hermes UK, the former parcel courier, was separate from Hermès, the French luxury-fashion company known for products such as handbags, scarves and clothing.
The fashion company uses an accented “è” in Hermès and operates in a different industry.
The Evri rebrand created a clearer identity for the UK parcel company and reduced potential confusion with other businesses using the Hermes name. However, Evri’s official announcement focused on growth and transformation rather than identifying the French fashion house as the principal reason for the change.
Did Ownership Cause Hermes to Become Evri?
Ownership and investment formed part of the wider business context, but later ownership changes did not directly cause Hermes to become Evri.
The 2022 rebrand took place while Evri was owned by Advent International and other shareholders. Apollo-managed funds completed their acquisition of the company in August 2024, more than two years after the new name was introduced.
Evri’s structure changed again after its merger with DHL eCommerce UK was completed on 1 October 2025. The enlarged Evri Group brought together Evri, the former DHL eCommerce UK operation, UK Mail and customs-clearance specialist Coll-8.
As of July 2026, Evri Group states that it is majority-owned by Apollo Global Management Group, with Deutsche Post DHL Group holding a minority share.
This means older articles describing Advent International as Evri’s current owner are now out of date.
Misinformation and Oversimplifications to Avoid
“Hermes Closed Down and Evri Replaced It”
This is misleading. Hermes UK was rebranded as Evri. The underlying parcel-delivery operation continued under the new identity.
“Hermes Admitted It Changed Its Name Because of Complaints”
This is unsupported. Evri’s official explanation focused on investment, growth and transformation.
Complaints and reputation were relevant context, but they were not presented by the company as the sole official reason.
“Only the Logo Changed”
This is too simplistic.
Evri announced customer-service investment, courier benefits, environmental commitments and cultural changes alongside the new identity. Whether every initiative produced the intended results is a separate question, but the programme involved more than a replacement logo.
“Evri Has the Same Ownership as It Did in 2022”
This is no longer correct.
Apollo acquired Evri in 2024, and the company later merged with DHL eCommerce UK to form the enlarged Evri Group.
Did Changing From Hermes to Evri Improve the Service?
The name change alone does not prove that the delivery service improved.
Evri has reported substantial investment in operations, technology and customer service since the rebrand. For example, the company said it invested £32 million in operations and customer service during its 2023–24 financial year and a further £57 million during 2024–25.
These are company-reported figures and should be understood as evidence of investment rather than independent proof that every customer received better service.
Independent research presents a more mixed picture. Ofcom’s 2025 findings showed that delivery problems remained common across the parcel sector and that Evri’s satisfaction score among people contacting it about delivery issues was below the industry average.
Citizens Advice also reported widespread parcel problems across major UK delivery companies in 2025.
The fairest conclusion is that Evri has invested in changing its operations, but the effectiveness of the transformation should be judged using dated performance evidence rather than the rebrand itself.
Conclusion: Why Hermes Changed Its Name to Evri
So, why did Hermes change to Evri?
The official answer is that Hermes UK wanted a new identity to represent significant investment, rapid growth and a wider business-transformation programme. Evri linked the rebrand with customer-service improvements, courier benefits, new corporate values and environmental commitments.
The wider context is equally important. Hermes had developed a poor reputation among many customers, and contemporary reports connected the name change with allegations of parcel mishandling and inadequate customer service.
A fresh identity therefore offered a chance to communicate operational change while creating distance from negative associations.
The most accurate conclusion is not that Hermes changed its name only because of complaints, or that reputation had nothing to do with it.
Hermes became Evri because the company wanted to reposition a growing and changing delivery business and because a new brand offered commercial and reputational advantages.
Why Did Hermes Change to Evri?
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hermes Now Called Evri?
Yes. Hermes UK changed its name to Evri in March 2022. It was a rebrand of the existing UK parcel-delivery operation rather than the launch of an unrelated courier company.
Why Did Hermes Change Its Name?
Hermes said the name changed to represent investment, rapid growth and a wider transformation programme. Public criticism of its service also contributed to the perception that the change was a reputational reset.
When Did Hermes Become Evri?
Hermes UK became Evri in March 2022. The new branding was introduced across company locations, vehicles and ParcelShops.
What Does Evri Stand For?
Evri is a stylised spelling of “every”. It supports the company’s branding around delivering for everyone and everywhere rather than functioning as a formal acronym.
Is Evri a Completely Different Company From Hermes?
No. Evri is the delivery company formerly branded as Hermes UK. Its ownership and group structure have changed since the rebrand, but the 2022 change itself was a rebranding of the existing operation.
Did Hermes Rebrand Because of Bad Reviews?
Bad reviews and service criticism were relevant to the public discussion surrounding the rebrand. However, Evri did not officially say they were the sole reason. The company’s stated reasons focused on growth, investment and transformation.
Can Old Hermes Tracking Numbers Still Be Used?
A Hermes tracking number may continue to work through Evri’s tracking system because Evri inherited the former Hermes UK delivery operation. Customers should use Evri’s official tracking page and enter the parcel’s tracking number to check its current status.
Who Owns Evri Now?
As of July 2026, Evri Group says it is majority-owned by Apollo Global Management Group, while Deutsche Post DHL Group holds a minority share.
Is the Hermes Courier Connected to Hermès Fashion?
No. The former Hermes UK parcel company and Hermès, the French luxury-fashion house, are separate businesses operating in different industries.
Sources
- Evri Rebrand Announcement
- Evri Ownership and Tax Policy
- Apollo Funds to Acquire Evri
- Ofcom Parcel Customer Satisfaction Report 2025
