TNT to use own postal workers

Direct mail printers will soon have a new postal delivery service to go "the final mile" under plans by TNT to put its own postmen and women on the streets.

The Royal Mail rival is likely to begin trialling the scheme in a city centre, followed by deliveries in the UK's major cities in the next five to 10 years.

According The Times, TNT is lining up Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh as proposed destinations for its delivery service. At the moment, it distributes mail and then feeds it into Royal Mail for final delivery.

TNT has handled approximately 1.2bn items of mail this year, representing 5.4% of the annual market in the UK, and its blue-chip clients include Sky, Next, T-Mobile and Barclays.

It follows Royal Mail's decision to lift the restrictions on delivering unaddressed mail.

Around 75% of unaddressed mail is delivered by Royal Mail's rivals.

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