News

Dutch express and postal operator TNT has expressed an interest in working with the Royal Mail after the government said that a partial privatisation was on the cards.

TNT has long harboured ambitions to run a full-scale postal service in this country as it does in Holland where it runs the country’s universal postal service. However, so far its TNT  Post operation in the UK has been confined to the bulk mail market, along with several other operators including German postal giant DHL, with the Royal Mail doing the final mile delivery.

But following the publication of Richard Hooper’s report into the Post Office, which concluded that the Royal Mail should form a "strategic minority partnership" with a private company, TNT has gone public with its intentions.

A statement says it will look to form a strategic partnership with the Royal Mail. Peter Bakker, CEO of TNT, says: "Royal Mail and TNT have explored partnership opportunities in the past. The views of the Hooper Commission provide a clear framework for the UK postal sector going forward. Assuming the UK government implements these recommendations, I think that exploring a strategic partnership with Royal Mail makes a lot of sense for both our companies."

TNT’s proposal to the government is to enter into discussions on a strategic partnership with Royal Mail  with the objective to reach agreement on key terms and conditions for a substantial minority shareholding. TNT’s proposal assumes the implementation of the key recommendations of the Hooper Commission that are instrumental to a sustainable future for Royal Mail.

In the UK, TNT Post handles more than 2.3 billion addressed mail items per year and employs close to 1,000 people.