PostNL removed significantly more letterboxes last year than in previous years, eliminating nearly 800 across the country. The total number fell to 9,791, down from 11,431 in 2022, the Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) reports in its annual postal and parcel market monitor. Despite the decline, PostNL still meets legal requirements, which focus on distribution rather than quantity. In towns with more than 5,000 residents, a letterbox must be available within 1 km, and within 2.5 km in smaller areas.
Mail volumes continued to shrink, but postal revenues rose slightly due to higher prices. Delivery reliability, however, remained well below the statutory standard. Only 86% of letters were delivered the next day. This is far short of the required 95%, a level PostNL considers outdated as traditional mail use declines. From July onward, the Postal Act will allow two days for delivery.
The ACM also received more complaints about postal quality, with over 700 reports in 2025, three‑quarters of them concerning mail delivery. Meanwhile, parcel services continued to grow. The number of parcel lockers nearly doubled to 9,309, now almost matching the number of letterboxes.
Cross‑border parcel shipments also increased, driven largely by orders from Asian online retailers.
@anp | NEWSBRAINPORT
