Royal Mail is set to increase the price of its wholesale postal service by an average of 25% from 5 October. This change will affect large organisations that use the service for mail such as marketing letters, household bills, and medical appointment notices.
The price increase could result in several million pounds of additional cost for the NHS, which spent at least £100m on sending letters in 2024. Other bulk mail customers, including banks and HMRC, will also be impacted.
Royal Mail stated that the price increases are "necessary to ensure prices more accurately reflect the cost of providing a reliable, nationwide postal service." The company cited significant financial challenges, rising costs across its operations, and declining letter volumes as reasons for the adjustment.
The Mail Users’ Association described the price increase as "unprecedented" and warned it would "place considerable additional financial pressure on organisations that rely on mail to communicate with customers."