Royal Mail

Today we've released 12 Royal Armouries Special Stamps & Collectibles. Eight stamps in the main set show extraordinary examples of armour made between 1520 and 1686 which were owned by monarchs, including King Henry VIII, King Charles I, King Charles II and King James II. Featuring stunning decoration and remarkable engineering, these are objects made to impress. A further four stamps presented in a miniature sheet show other treasures from the collection: a rare sword and scabbard from the Ming dynasty, c.1420; an ornately decorated flintlock gun by Simpson of York, c.1738; a Japanese helmet from the Edo period, c.1680 and a European sword bearing Arabic inscriptions, c.1365–1432. The Royal Armouries’ origins lie in the Middle Ages, and at its core is the celebrated collection originating in the nation's working arsenal, assembled over many centuries at the Tower of London. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, selected items began to be arranged for display to visitors, making the Royal Armouries one of the oldest deliberately created visitor attractions in the country. You can order the Royal Armouries Stamps & Collectibles here: http://ms.spr.ly/6046UVvuk

Today Ofcom announced proposed changes to Royal Mail’s Universal Service. Ofcom has outlined the need for urgent reform to reflect how people use the postal service and protect it going into the future. Proposals include: ✉️ Delivering Second Class letters on alternate weekdays, not on Saturdays ✉️ Keeping First Class deliveries six days a week Royal Mail CEO Emma Gilthorpe said: “Ofcom has recognised the urgent need for change so that the future of the Universal Service can be protected for all. “Our proposal was developed after speaking to thousands of people across the country and is designed to preserve what matters most for our customers - maintaining a one-price-goes-anywhere service to 32 million UK addresses and First Class deliveries six days a week. “As Ofcom’s analysis shows, it is no longer financially sustainable to maintain a network built for 20 billion letters when we are now only delivering 6.7 billion. Reform is crucial to support a modern, sustainable, and reliable postal service for our customers, our company and our people.” See Ofcom’s announcement here: https://lnkd.in/e9cBjuKC

Happy Lunar New Year 🐍 🧧🏮

From 24-25 January a special Holocaust Memorial Day postmark will be appearing on letters across the UK. #ForABetterFuture #HMD2025

How can exporting boost resilience and spark new opportunities? Find out how exporting can transform your business in our latest insight report, in partnership with Raconteur. Find out more here http://ms.spr.ly/6048oMMgg.

The Christmas peak period is vital for our customers, and in 2024 we undertook extensive planning and invested in our people and our network to deliver for our customers. We delivered 188 million Tracked 24 and 48 parcels and hundreds of millions of letters over peak. Our state of the art parcel hubs processed over 75 million parcels, and 99% of items posted on, or before, the last recommended posting date arrived before Christmas. You can view our full Q3 trading update here: http://ms.spr.ly/6042UzNHu

Our 6,000th electric vehicle has hit the streets, maintaining our position as having the largest electric delivery fleet in the UK. The 6,000th zero-emission version of our famous red vans has been deployed at Manchester Mail Centre, adding to 15 others already at the site used for deliveries and collections. So far, over 240 Royal Mail offices across the country use electric vehicles. We purchased our first 100 electric vehicles in December 2017, which were deployed in delivery offices across the UK. Most of our electric vans are charged on-site across the company’s estate via a purchased 100% renewable electricity supply, meaning they are zero-emission. Read more at: http://ms.spr.ly/6048U8RO8

Our 6,000th electric vehicle has hit the streets, maintaining our position as having the largest electric delivery fleet in the UK. The 6,000th zero-emission version of our famous red vans has been deployed at Manchester Mail Centre, adding to 15 others already at the site used for deliveries and collections. So far, over 240 Royal Mail offices across the country use electric vehicles. We purchased our first 100 electric vehicles in December 2017, which were deployed in delivery offices across the UK. Most of our electric vans are charged on-site across the company’s estate via a purchased 100% renewable electricity supply, meaning they are zero-emission. Read more at: http://ms.spr.ly/6048U8RO8

Today we issued our trading update for Q3 2024-25. This latest performance keeps the business on track to return to an adjusted operating profit by the end of the financial year. It represents a significant milestone in the turnaround of Royal Mail and a solid foundation for the future of IDS. Highlights include: 📦 Royal Mail’s high level of reliability, ensuring 99% of all items posted on or before the last recommended posting dates arriving in time for Christmas. 📦 Strong growth in tracked parcels with Royal Mail’s state of the art parcel hubs processing over 75 million during Christmas. 📦 Both parcel and revenue growth for GLS. The new Paris hub opened in September 2024 providing more capacity and the US parcel business saw improved profitability. IDS CEO, Martin Seidenberg, said: “I'm proud of my colleagues across Royal Mail and GLS who went above and beyond for our customers this Christmas.   “At Royal Mail, we've made more progress to adapt to customer demand, delivering Christmas, driving growth and offering customers more convenient options to send and receive parcels.   “GLS saw good export volume growth and continued to invest in strategic initiatives, such as the roll out of parcel lockers across Europe, strengthening its network.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eacnbMe7

Today we've released Vicar of Dibley Special Stamps. We are celebrating one of the UK’s most successful and award-winning comedy series with a set of 12 Special Stamps. Eight stamps depict iconic scenes from the series, while a further four stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, shows a Dibley Parish Council meeting. The stamps and a range of collectible products are available to buy from today: http://ms.spr.ly/6044oh5z8