Latest news with #KimPedersen
Time Out
4 days ago
- Business
- Time Out
Postboxes will no longer exist in this European country by next year
Have you sent your significant other a love letter recently, or posted a postcard to a long-distance friend? No, neither have we. The truth is that classic physical mail has been on the decline for decades, but not just because of a lack of letter-writing. While plenty of people still receive bank statements, bills, and local news on paper around the world, you can opt to do all that online, and Denmark, one of the planet's most digitalised countries, is officially calling time on its state-run postal service. PostNord has seen a 90 percent decline in letter volumes since the year 2000, and a 30 percent decrease in the last year alone – overall, that's a drop from 1.4 billion to just 110 million annually. So, after 400 years of service, it will no longer be delivering letters, and we can expect the country's 1,500 post boxes to gradually disappear from this month onward. The operator will still be available for parcel deliveries, and if you've already bought your stamps, those can be refunded. But, is there anything else to blame for this shift in habit? According to the BBC, the Postal Act 2024 opened up the letter-sending market to private operators, meaning the cost of postage leapt up. PostNord Denmark's managing director Kim Pedersen told local media that 'when a letter costs 29 Danish krone (€3.90), there will be fewer letters.' Fewer, but not none. While 95 percent of Danes use Digital Post, around 271,000 people still rely on physical mail. It's thought that elderly people, and those who live in remote areas will be impacted the most by the change. But PostNord (which also operates in Sweden) isn't the only European operator facing tough times. Germany 's Deutsche Post announced earlier this year that it planned on axing 8,000 jobs.
Telegraph
07-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Royal Fail: Britain's postal service is falling apart
Apart from Lurpak, Lego and Kierkegaard, Denmark, for all its admirable qualities, hasn't been much of a trendsetter for Britain. But now it might, and in a really bad way. Its state postal service, PostNord, is to stop delivering letters from next year to focus on parcels. So, after 400 years, there won't be any more letter deliveries and Denmark's 1,500 post boxes will start to disappear. The number of letters Danes send has fallen from 1.4 billion in 2000 to 110 million last year. That's a 90 per cent fall in a quarter of a century; quite a big deal. Denmark is one of the most digitised countries on earth; most communication happens over a smartphone – which makes you wonder how people function if they lose them. But there is another factor, which may strike you as familiar. In Denmark, the introduction of a new Postal Act in 2024 opened up the letter market to competition from private firms and stamps are no longer exempt from VAT, resulting in higher postage costs: £3.35. 'When a letter costs 29 Danish krone (£3.35) there will be fewer letters,' PostNord Denmark's Managing Director, Kim Pedersen, observed. It is at this point that we should all sit up and start bothering. Because the PostNord man has summed up the problem. It's cause and effect: if you make a service unaffordable, fewer people will use it, and if fewer people use it, that becomes the rationale for making the service unavailable. The same genius argument has been used in Britain. Royal Mail wants to persuade Ofcom, the industry regulator, to allow it to reduce postal services drastically. Under the plans, there wouldn't be Saturday second class deliveries – only on alternate weekdays. Well, that's just great, isn't it? And let's remind ourselves at this point that a first class stamp is now £1.65 and a second class 85p. That only dawned on most people at Christmas when they found that their cards cost less than the price of a first class stamp. Not so long ago it was shocking when the price broke the pound barrier, but the increases since have been fast and inexorable. And yes, it is all, as in Denmark, down to privatisation. The latest brilliant plan for a worse and more expensive service follows the Government's go-ahead for a Czech billionaire, Daniel Kretinsky, to take over the service for £3.57 billion. The Tories started the rot by separating the Post Office from Royal Mail before privatising both, and presided over the astonishing increases in the cost of the service. Labour doesn't seem any more bothered. Second class post should not mean this much of a second class service. You expect a second class delivery to take a day or two longer, not three days a week. And any idiot can see that it won't be long before Royal Mail can make another Danish-style efficiency by closing its post boxes, or retaining them, as with old telephone boxes, for picturesque effect. Tried to use one lately? You'll find, if you're not an early bird, that the collection has been and gone at 9am, unless you're unlucky and it goes at 7am, Monday to Fridays. Stand by for the next big reveal, that the number of letters being dropped off in postboxes has gone into decline. Do they think we're stupid? Well, yes, of course they do. But let's point out now that if a letter dropped off in a postbox won't go anywhere until the following day, of course you're probably going to make your way to the nearest post office instead. It's way less convenient than a post box, with postmen doing the collecting, but tough; your convenience doesn't matter. We'll really miss the postal service if it goes the way of Denmark, and letters become a forgotten medium – along with handwriting, displaced by emails. But we can do something meanwhile. Ofcom would really love to hear from you: let them have it.
The Independent
07-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Denmark's postal service to stop delivering letters
Denmark 's days of traditional mail delivery are numbered. State-run postal service PostNord announced on Thursday that it will cease letter delivery in the Nordic nation by the end of 2025. While package distribution will continue, the move marks a significant shift in Denmark's postal landscape and reflects the increasing digitisation of communication. The change will see the removal of approximately 1,500 mailboxes across Denmark in the latter half of 2025, and unused stamps will be eligible for refunds. The downsizing will also impact PostNord's workforce, with an estimated 1,500 of its 4,600 employees facing layoffs this year. PostNord, which also services Sweden, confirmed that letter delivery in that country will remain unaffected. The agency cited a dramatic 90 per cent decline in letter volume in Denmark since 2000, with a further drop of over 30 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year. This decline is attributed to the global shift towards digital communication, exacerbated by 2024 Danish legislation that increased postage costs. 'We have been the Danes' postal service for 400 years and therefore it is a difficult decision to put a bow on that part of our story," PostNord Denmark chief executive Kim Pedersen said in a news release. "The Danes have become more and more digital which means that there are very few letters left for us to handle today, and the downturn continues so clearly that the market for letters is no longer profitable.' Pedersen said the heart of PostNord's business is parcel delivery, which it will focus on in 2026. Pelle Dragsted, a member of the Danish parliament, wrote on social platform X that the cessation of letter delivery will unfairly affect Danes who live in remote areas. Letters can still be sent through private companies, Danish public broadcaster DR reported. The state will ensure that infrastructure remains for mail to be delivered to Denmark's remote areas, including smaller island communities. Pedersen also told DR that people can send their letters as packages through PostNord's parcel shops.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
No more mail: PostNord to stop delivering letters to Denmark at the end of 2025
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — No more mail for Denmark: PostNord will stop delivering letters to the Nordic nation at the end of 2025, though package distribution will remain. PostNord, a state-run agency that services Denmark and Sweden, announced the change Thursday. Roughly 1,500 mailboxes throughout Denmark will be taken down in the second half of the year, and Danes can seek refunds for stamps. An estimated 1,500 of PostNord's 4,600 employees will be laid off this year. Sweden's letter delivery will not be affected, the agency said. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. PostNord said the number of letters in Denmark has decreased by 90% since 2000, and by more than 30% in 2024 compared with the year before. The agency blamed an increasingly digital atmosphere in Denmark and worldwide, and 2024 Danish legislation that drove the cost of postage up. 'We have been the Danes' postal service for 400 years and therefore it is a difficult decision to put a bow on that part of our story," PostNord Denmark chief executive Kim Pedersen said in a news release. "The Danes have become more and more digital which means that there are very few letters left for us to handle today, and the downturn continues so clearly that the market for letters is no longer profitable.' Pedersen said the heart of PostNord's business is parcel delivery, which it will focus on in 2026. Pelle Dragsted, a member of the Danish parliament, wrote on social platform X that the cessation of letter delivery will unfairly affect Danes who live in remote areas. Letters can still be sent through private companies, Danish public broadcaster DR reported. The state will ensure that infrastructure remains for mail to be delivered to Denmark's remote areas, including smaller island communities. Pedersen also told DR that people can send their letters as packages through PostNord's parcel shops. Germany's Deutsche Post also announced layoffs on Thursday, with plans to cut 8,000 jobs
The Independent
07-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
No more mail: PostNord to stop delivering letters to Denmark at the end of 2025
No more mail for Denmark: PostNord will stop delivering letters to the Nordic nation at the end of 2025, though package distribution will remain. PostNord, a state-run agency that services Denmark and Sweden, announced the change Thursday. Roughly 1,500 mailboxes throughout Denmark will be taken down in the second half of the year, and Danes can seek refunds for stamps. An estimated 1,500 of PostNord's 4,600 employees will be laid off this year. Sweden's letter delivery will not be affected, the agency said. PostNord said the number of letters in Denmark has decreased by 90% since 2000, and by more than 30% in 2024 compared with the year before. The agency blamed an increasingly digital atmosphere in Denmark and worldwide, and 2024 Danish legislation that drove the cost of postage up. 'We have been the Danes' postal service for 400 years and therefore it is a difficult decision to put a bow on that part of our story," PostNord Denmark chief executive Kim Pedersen said in a news release. "The Danes have become more and more digital which means that there are very few letters left for us to handle today, and the downturn continues so clearly that the market for letters is no longer profitable.' Pedersen said the heart of PostNord's business is parcel delivery, which it will focus on in 2026. Pelle Dragsted, a member of the Danish parliament, wrote on social platform X that the cessation of letter delivery will unfairly affect Danes who live in remote areas. Letters can still be sent through private companies, Danish public broadcaster DR reported. The state will ensure that infrastructure remains for mail to be delivered to Denmark's remote areas, including smaller island communities. Pedersen also told DR that people can send their letters as packages through PostNord's parcel shops.
