DHL Express opens drive-up, pop-up store in Virginia

International express carrier DHL Express said Wednesday that it has opened a drive-up, mobile pop-up retail store in Woodbridge, Virginia’s Potomac Mills shopping center. The drive-up facility, believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S., will allow customers to complete their transactions without leaving their vehicles, the DHL unit said.

The new facility, about 22 miles south of Washington, D.C., on Interstate 95, can be used to create shipments at the site, drop off already-prepared packages, and pick up parcels for U.S. and international services. DHL operates in 220 countries and territories. The U.S. market is an international pickup and delivery node. The unit ceased U.S. domestic operations in January 2009.

Customers may access the Virginia facility either via the drive-up window or in the store, DHL Express said. Supplies such as bubble wrap, packing tape and DHL-branded boxes are available, the DHL unit said. In response to social-distancing concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, DHL Express said that customers can request that labels and packaging be ready upon their arrival.

The facility is the second DHL Express “ServicePoint location” in the Washington metro area. In July 2019, DHL Express opened a mobile pop-up store in Silver Spring, Maryland. However, that facility does not have drive-up capabilities.