2012 rate hike put UK stamps among Europe's most expensive

[POSTMAN]

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The UK has jumped into the top six most expensive countries in Europe in which to send a basic domestic letter, according to Deutsche Post’s latest study.

The latest annual survey of European postal rates has revealed little change in the rankings, with Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland and Belgium offering the five most expensive retail stamps.

But with Royal Mail’s 30% price hike last year, after regulator Ofcom removed price controls, the UK has leapt from mid-table to just miss the top five, climbing 10 places in the ranking of domestic letter rates in 29 European countries.

The UK saw its first class retail letter rate rising from the equivalent of EUR 0.54 up to EUR 0.69.

The average European domestic letter rate edged upwards by a single cent to 56 cents.

The Deutsche Post study said the UK has had the fourth highest increase in letter prices among European countries since 2001, behind only Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. The UK’s 74.9% rate rise over the 10 year-period was more than twice the European average increase of 31%.

Last year saw postage rates staying the same as in 2011 within 19 European countries, with rates increasing in Estonia, Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Latvia, Spain, Malta and the UK.

Malta remained the cheapest country for domestic letter rates, with a 20-cent rate, while Norway remained the most expensive with a EUR 1.22 rate.

European letter rates

Among postage rates for sending letters to other European countries, there was no change in the top four most expensive – Portugal topping the list followed by Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

Portugal charged EUR 1.85 to mail a letter to another European country, while Malta remained the cheapest cross-border service within the EU, charging a 37-cent rate.

The UK’s one-euro rate saw it climb a little in the table, from 12th to 7th, but Estonia was the big climber, jumping from 26th position to become the joint 7th most expensive country from which to send a letter to another European country, also with a one-euro rate.

The average postage rate for sending to other European countries rose by 5 cents to 91 cents.

Deutsche Post


Deutsche Post commented that its 12th annual European letter survey showed that its own letter rates were “very reasonable”.

Despite a three-cent rise in its standard letter rate, to 58 cents, the company said its customers were still paying below the European average to mail a letter.

Deutsche Post said that taking inflation into account, Germany’s letter rates have fallen more steeply than any other country except Cyprus.

“Adjusted for inflation, rates fell by more than 13% between 2002 and 2012. In the same period, the average cost for a standard letter in all of the countries under review rose by more than 34%,” the German postal operator said.

[DGP1]

I love the way competition has driven down prices

[UnhappyGremlin]

Wonder if, with the recent price changes, RM have managed to climb up the table of parcel prices?