Google locks up deal for parcel firm

Google has agreed to acquire Canadian start-up BufferBox, which manages self-service parcel lockers to help consumers avoid missed deliveries, the companies said Friday.

Google has agreed to acquire Canadian start-up BufferBox, which manages self-service parcel lockers to help consumers avoid missed deliveries, the companies said Friday.

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Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The company began with a pilot project in Waterloo, Ontario, and has been rolling out a network of pick-up stations across the Toronto area.

"We are now excited to share that we have been acquired by Google," BufferBox said in a blog posting.

"We have a huge vision for this space and we couldn't be happier to be building it out within a fantastic organization."

A Google statement said: "We want to remove as much friction as possible from the shopping experience, while helping consumers save time and money, and we think the BufferBox team has a lot of great ideas around how to do that."

The move comes with Google increasingly entering the retail space with its own shopping site and a Google Play Store, which sells not only digital products but hardware such as Google-branded tablets and smartphones.

On Wednesday, Google said it agreed to buy the marketing firm Incentive Targeting in a move that gives the tech giant more tools to work with retailers on discounts and other promotions.