27/04/2004

Royal Mail sizes up ditching weight price policy

Royal Mail has announced new pricing plans, which would allow it to price mail by size rather than weight.

The state-owned operator claimed that the changes were needed, so that it could continue to provide a ‘one-price-goes-anywhere’ postal service and has called on UK postal regulator Postcomm to give the go-ahead for the new policy plan.

Royal Mail said 74% of mail would be unaffected by the new pricing plans, but large, bulky items – such as posters inside cylindrical packing – would cost more.

Other items that would be likely to see their cost go up would be large greeting cards, CDs, rolls of photographic film, audio cassettes and video tapes.

However, Royal Mail insisted that the changes would not increase Britain’s overall postal bill.

Postcomm is beginning three months of consultation on the plans, which were drawn up last year.

Royal Mail hope to implement the new price changes by September 2005, though Postcomm said that the plans were not likely to be introduced before April 2006.

(KmcA)

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