TPG deal ‘a significant step forward for mail competition,’ says UK Postcomm

Postcomm chief executive Martin Stanley today welcomed the access agreement between Royal Mail and TPG Post UK Ltd under which Royal Mail will deliver post ‘the final mile’ for the Dutch company. Mr Stanley said: “This is another significant step forward for competition in the UK postal market, and a sign that the industry is growing increasingly confident that the access arrangements, driven by Postcomm, will deliver benefits to the customer. We expect other deals to follow. “It is the second agreement of its kind, and follows the first access agreement between Royal Mail and UK Mail Ltd which was signed only in February. As a by-product of that agreement, last week, Postcomm published guidelines which will help other companies to enter into access agreements with Royal Mail. “Access agreements with Royal Mail are good for customers, who are offered more choice and innovation, and good for Royal Mail which is paid a fair price for final delivery.” Notes for editors Under the agreement, TPG will collect mail from its customers, and feed it into the Royal Mail network for delivery to individual addresses by Royal Mail postmen and women. Postcomm will be monitoring the terms of this deal, and others like them, to ensure that the customer benefits On 31 March Postcomm published its observations on the first access agreement between Royal Mail and UK Mail Ltd. The document is intended to assist those seeking access in the near future by indicating to what extent other operators might expect a similar deal.