This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/06/danish-postal-service-stop-delivering-letters-drop-numbers

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Danish postal service to stop delivering letters after 90% drop in numbers Danish postal service to stop delivering letters after 90% drop in numbers
(about 2 hours later)
PostNord says it will end the service from next year and cut a third of its staff to focus on its parcels business PostNord says it will stop service at end of year and cut a third of staff to focus on parcels business
The Danish postal service has said it will no longer deliver letters from next year and will cut a third of its staff. The Danish postal service has said it will deliver its last letter at the end of this year, instead focusing on packages to respond to changing forms of communication.
“At the end of the year, PostNord will deliver its final letter ... to focus on its role as the premier parcel delivery service in Denmark,” the company announced in a statement. PostNord said on Thursday it would cut 1,500 jobs in Denmark and remove 1,500 red postboxes, citing the “increasing digitalisation” of society.
PostNord said the restructuring was due to digitalisation leading to a huge decrease in the number of letters sent, with a 90% reduction since 2000. A total of 1,500 out of 4,600 jobs would go, it said. The company, formed in 2009 in a merger of the Swedish and Danish postal services, is owned by the Danish and Swedish states in a respective 40:60 split. Letter distribution in Sweden would not be affected, it said.
“In 2024, the number of letters fell by more than 30% compared with the previous year and this trend will continue,” the company added. The Danish postal service has been responsible for delivering letters in the country since 1624, but since 2000 the number of letters has declined by more than 90%, it said.
PostNord Denmark will deliver its last letter on 30 December.
“With increasing digitalisation, the number of letters in Denmark is rapidly decreasing, and therefore PostNord in Denmark will stop delivering letters in 2026 to focus on being the Danes’ preferred package supplier,” the company said in a statement.
Kim Pedersen, the chief executive of PostNord Denmark, said: “In order for us to create a sustainable business, we need to adapt, and unfortunately this means a difficult decision to say goodbye to some of our colleagues.”
He added: “We have been the Danes’ postal service for 400 years, and therefore it is a difficult decision to tie a knot on that part of our history.”
PostNord lost its obligation to deliver post to the whole of Denmark last year in a move towards market liberalisation, meaning the company also lost much of its financial support.PostNord lost its obligation to deliver post to the whole of Denmark last year in a move towards market liberalisation, meaning the company also lost much of its financial support.
The distributor DAO, which won the contract to deliver public service mail last year, has said it is ready to strengthen its letter distribution service. The government said it would still be possible to post letters despite the changes.
“We can still send and receive letters everywhere in the country,” the tranport minister, Thomas Danielsen, told the Ritzau news agency. “We can still send and receive letters everywhere in the country,” the transport minister, Thomas Danielsen, told the Ritzau news agency.
Many postal services are struggling across Europe due to digitalisation. The German postal service, Deutsche Post, also announced on Thursday that it would cut 8,000 jobs in Germany to reduce costs.
Sign up to This is EuropeSign up to This is Europe
The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environmentThe most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment
after newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotion
The core letters business of Britain’s Royal Mail has also been ravaged. The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has proposed Royal Mail deliver second-class letters on alternate weekdays potentially saving the company hundreds of millions of pounds. The distributor DAO, which won the contract to deliver public service mail last year, has said it is ready to strengthen its letter distribution service.
Many postal services are struggling across Europe due to digitalisation. The German postal service, Deutsche Post, announced on Thursday that it would cut 8,000 jobs in Germany to reduce costs.
The core letters business of Britain’s Royal Mail has also been ravaged. The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has proposed Royal Mail deliver second-class letters on alternate weekdays, potentially saving the company hundreds of millions of pounds.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.