ACM: Parcel delivery market grows even faster as a result of the pandemic

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a visible effect on the postal and parcel market. The volume of parcels that were sent increased by 35% in 2020. The volume of letterbox-sized mail, too, increased by 8%, whereas in previous years, that volume structurally decreased. The volume of business mail decreased by 8% in 2020, but still makes up over 90% of the total volume of letterbox-sized mail. These are some of the conclusions of the Postal and Parcel Markets Scan, which the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) published today.

Parcels

The Dutch parcel market grew dramatically in 2020. In that context, lockdown restrictions in the retail industry are likely to have played a major role. The volume of delivered parcels of the six largest parcel delivery operators was 778 million. That generated a turnover of 3.6 billion euros. As in previous years, PostNL is the largest operator for domestic parcels, with a market share of approximately 60%. DHL’s market share for domestic parcel delivery grew the most in 2020, to approximately 35%.

Regular mail

During the lockdowns and the holiday season in 2020, more greetings cards were sent. The volume of consumer mail has thus increased, and over 131 million letterbox-sized mail items were sent. However, consumer mail did become more expensive. In 2020, the price of a stamp was 0.91 euros, as opposed to 0.87 euros in 2019.

The decrease in the volume of business mail continued in 2020. The volume of business mail that was sent decreased to below two billion in 2020. With that volume, the parcel delivery operators generated a turnover of approximately 800 million euros. In February 2020, the networks of PostNL and its former rival Sandd were merged, and PostNL’s market share on the market for business mail subsequently increased to over 90%.

ACM’s role

ACM is statutorily charged with oversight over the postal sector, and, as part of that oversight, it draws up the Postal and Parcel Markets Scan each year at the request of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. The objective of the Scan is to provide insight into the trends and developments in the sector.

See also

28-06-2021 Postal and Parcel Markets Scan 2020 (In Dutch)