However, Danish law guarantees citizens have the right to send and receive physical letters. So, with PostNord no longer offering the service, shipping and distribution company Dao will be stepping in. From January on, Danes wishing to send letters at home or abroad will have to hand them in at the private company’s shops — which already processed 30 million missives this year — and affix them with its corporate stamps.
Dao said it’s “excited” to provide the service, for which the company is set to receive 110 million krone (€14.7 million) in government subsidies. And in a post on its corporate website, the parcel processing group highlights new data that suggests physical correspondence is experiencing a revival among younger Danes who are embracing pen-and-paper communication.
The company now aims to capitalize on this trend by lowering letter delivery fees and ramping up its processing capacity to up to 80 million letters next year.
“Many believe that letters are disappearing, but they still play an important role,” said Dao Sales Director Lars Balsby, who stressed they seek to provide the service for the foreseeable future. “We will be here tomorrow, in five years, and in 10 years.”
End of an era
PostNord’s decision to stop its physical mail delivery service means the phaseout of 1,500 jobs. It also spells the end for Denmark’s 1,500 red postboxes.
Brethvad said PostNord is sensitive to the fact that the postboxes are an iconic part of Danish heritage. Earlier this month, 1,000 of them were sold off in a special sale, and an additional 200 will be auctioned off in January, with all proceeds going to charities supporting children affected by crisis situations around the world.