Rumours of a Post Office strike before Christmas saw consumers looking for alternative methods to send gifts.

The first quarter turnover of private delivery services firm Parcel2Go.com increased as a result of Post Office strike rumours.

Speculation regarding the possible strike of Post Office staff in Oxford during the run-up to Christmas 2008 saw delivery orders for Parcel2Go increase by 25 per cent across the region.

Revenue figures for its operation show a 15.5 per cent increase in the region across Oxford.

Consumers were found to contact Parcel2Go.com as they looked for alternative methods to send Christmas gifts, with many of these new customers predicted to remain with the company.

Richard Adams-Mercer, business development manager, said a "dramatic increase" in package volume was seen "within a fortnight".

He stated: "We have maintained that performance partially because of Royal Mail's price rises but also because we can be relied upon not to call strike action at busiest periods when most of the country want to send parcels."

"The rumours of striking so close to Christmas was enough to force both businesses and private individuals to reconsider how they sent parcels," added Mr Adams-Mercer.

Parcel2Go.com has partnerships with the leading delivery companies globally, including FedEx, DHL, UPS and City Link.