NEW YORK (AP) — A surge in online shopping helped UPS post record revenue during the last three months of 2020, the company said yesterday.

UPS and other delivery companies have seen demand spike as more people shop online during the pandemic and avoid going to physical stores. Not only was the Atlanta company working to deliver gifts and online orders during the holiday season, but it also started shipping COVID-19 vaccines at the same time. To keep up, it hired thousands of more workers and saved space for the vaccines, which need to be kept in deep freezers.

During the quarter, UPS said the daily average number of packages it delivered rose nearly 11 per cent.

CEO Carol Tome expects pandemic-fuelled online shopping habits to stick, even as more stores reopen.

“We’re in a new normal,” said Tome. “Even my relatives, who are older, are shopping online. Before, they would never do that.”

UPS said yesterday revenue rose 21 per cent to US$24.9 billion in the three months ending December 31, a record for the company.

However, it posted a loss of US$3.26 billion, or US$3.75 per share, as costs rose and it took charges on pension obligations and the sale of its UPS freight business. The year before, it reported a much smaller loss of US$106 million.

But when adjusted to remove charges, UPS said it earned US$2.66 per share, easily beating Wall Street expectations.

Full-year revenue totalled US$84.6 billion, with adjusted profit of US$8.23 per share. Both were records for UPS.