Denmark to end physical mail delivery

Starting December 30, Denmark's national postal authority, PostNord, will cease delivering physical letters, marking the end of a service that dates back to 1624. This move comes as the company grapples with an operating deficit of 428 million krone (€57 million) and a 90% decline in the volume of physical mail since 2000.

“PostNord Denmark has a long history in which letters have been an important part, but with Denmark being one of the most digitalized countries in the world, most of the Danes no longer send physical letters,” Andreas Brethvad, the company’s director of public affairs and communications, told Politico. 

With this decision, PostNord will shift focus to handling e-commerce parcels, which are used by eight out of 10 Danes who shop online. However, Danish law guarantees citizens the right to send and receive physical letters, so shipping company Dao will take over letter delivery starting in January.

Dao, which processed 30 million letters this year, will offer the service at its shops and receive 110 million krone (€14.7 million) in government subsidies.

Dao is excited about the shift, citing data showing a resurgence in letter-writing among younger Danes.

"Many believe that letters are disappearing, but they still play an important role,” said Lars Balsby, Dao Sales Director, emphasizing the company's commitment to the service long-term.

PostNord’s exit from letter delivery will lead to the loss of 1,500 jobs and the removal of 1,500 red postboxes. However, some of the postboxes have been sold off for charity, with 200 more set for auction in January.

The remaining boxes will be repurposed for new uses, following the trend of converting obsolete infrastructure into community resources, like pop-up libraries.

Deutsche Post in Germany and Poczta Polska in Poland have made similar moves in recent years.

By Sabina Mammadli