FedEx Says Heavy Storms Will Delay Some Packages

FedEx Corp. said some packages would be delayed due to heavy storms rolling across the Southeast and Midwest, and that the company would make some deliveries on Christmas Day.

FedEx's major air hub is located in Memphis, Tenn., in an area affected by the storms. FedEx made some adjustments to its operations due to the severe weather and to minimize customer disruptions, a spokeswoman wrote in an email.

"FedEx is operating with slight delays this morning, but we are continuing to make adjustments and do everything we can to minimize impact on our customers," she added.

To ensure packages make it, FedEx said some Express employees will make deliveries Christmas Day on a voluntary basis, and all customer counters at FedEx Express stations will be open in the morning for customer pickups. The company has done this for the past several years, a spokeswoman added.

Rival United Parcel Service Inc., whose biggest air hub is located in Louisville, Ky., said Thursday morning it wasn't affected by the weather and that operations were running smoothly. UPS "will be working into the evening to get everything delivered today," a spokesman said.

Some retailers in recent days complained that the FedEx network is experiencing delays that are preventing some packages from reaching consumers in time for Christmas. FedEx said if retailers shipped the packages by its published deadlines, they would make it on time.

Delivery companies have reported that holiday package volumes have been even higher than expected as more shoppers buy presents online. Networks were strained and there were some delays in early December following heavy online shopping over the Thanksgiving weekend and on Cyber Monday.

E-commerce sales rose 11.8% from Nov. 26 through Dec. 20 compared with a year ago, according to ChannelAdvisor Corp., which makes e-commerce software and measures online transactions.

All combined, FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service forecast more than 1.5 billion package deliveries during the holidays.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 28, 2015 07:25 ET (12:25 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2015 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.