30-03-2026

The Hague, 30 March 2026 – In 2025, PostNL recorded a negative return of –3.5% on its postal activities. This is reflected in the report that PostNL shared last Friday with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), in accordance with the conditions attached by the government to the acquisition of Sandd in 2019. The return is well below the government-imposed cap of 9% and corresponds to a loss of approximately €44 million. Postal activities include consumer mail (Universal Postal Service/USO), business mail and other mail-related services.

Cap on return on sales since 2019

In 2019, the State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy granted permission for the merger of the postal networks of PostNL and Sandd, subject to the condition that PostNL reports annually on the return on its postal activities. This return is calculated as the operating result of the postal activities relative to the associated revenue. A return on sales cap of 9% was established to prevent excessive profits arising from economies of scale and to ensure that the postal market continues to operate in the public interest. Although since the permission has been annulled by the courts, PostNL has indicated that it will continue to comply with this obligation on a voluntary basis for the time being. The numbers have been audited by an independent external auditor.

Further deterioration of financial position

The report shows that the financial position of the postal activities has further deteriorated compared to 2024, when the return came in at –1.1%. The combination of declining volumes due to changing consumer behaviour, rising costs, and the USO obligation to maintain a high-quality nationwide network has resulted in the postal activities being loss-making. This development underlines that the current structure of the postal market is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain in an economically viable way and that adjustments to the regulatory framework are necessary to ensure a future-proof postal service.

The results relating specifically to the USO, i.e. activities that fall under the Postal Act, will be published in the second quarter of 2026.

Source: PostNL