Around 150 new jobs will be created in Chorley as part of a £75 million investment programme for Royal Mail’s parcels business.

The huge investment means that a new parcel processing centre will be opened in Buckshaw Village in autumn 2013.

Royal Mail Group’s chief executive, Moya Greene said: “Our £75 million investment is part of Royal Mail Group’s strategy to grow its parcels businesses in the UK and overseas.

“Our strategy is to convert the rise in parcel volumes into growth.

“That means becoming a much more customer-focused company being run on commercial lines and investing in new, vital technology.

“The investment will enable Royal Mail Group’s express parcels business to meet the rapid growth in demand in the business-to-business, business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer markets.”

Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle said he believed the decision for Royal Mail to locate in the borough was helped by the area’s excellent transport links.

He said: “This is excellent news, it’s a huge boost for employment levels in Chorley.

“These jobs are good-quality and with a good level of job security.

“The creation of a new site shows that logistically Chorley is perfect for attracting new businesses and investment.

“We can expect Royal Mail to be a key employer in our area for many years to come.

“I hope that as work levels increase, Chorley is at the centre and we see the creation of even more jobs.”

In the last reported financial year, Royal Mail Group’s parcels businesses accounted for 48 per cent (£4.2 billion) of total revenues.

Recent research suggests that online retailing will account for 12.4 per cent of GDP by 2016.

Chorley Council leader, Alistair Bradley, said: “Chorley is open for business and this is vindicates the council’s efforts to attract high quality employers into the borough.

“Chorley is ideally located for companies needing access to the motorways and transport network but most importantly our work force is second-to-none.”