Royal Mail’s Delivery Model Is Changing – Here’s What You Need to Know

Mail on the Move: A Strategic Partnership Event with Royal Mail

On 25th June 2025, Central Mailing Services, in partnership with Royal Mail, hosted a landmark industry event: Mail on the Move, held at The Foundry in Brindley Place.

Our goal was clear, to provide our clients and industry peers with exclusive, accurate, and timely insight into Royal Mail’s upcoming delivery model reforms. And to ensure you heard it straight from the source, we partnered directly with Royal Mail to deliver this vital update.

This wasn’t a second-hand summary, it was a direct line to the decision-makers.

Featured Speakers

We were proud to welcome key leaders to the stage, including:

Phil Ricketts – Wholesale Commercial Director, Royal Mail
John Ellis – Business Development Director, Central Mailing Services
Richard Morrow – Director, Central Mailing Services

From delivery model deep-dives to surprising stats on how people actually engage with their post, the event delivered real clarity and sparked insightful conversations. The feedback? Fantastic. So thank you to everyone who joined us.

Why We Hosted the Workshop

Because change is here, and it’s significant.

Royal Mail and Ofcom have been working to modernise the Universal Service Obligation (USO), creating a system that’s more efficient and financially sustainable, without compromising on reliability.

Letter volumes are falling dramatically — from 20 billion per year to under 7 billion — and the traditional six-day model no longer aligns with how people use mail today. The reforms aim to reflect this new reality.

The Decision Is Now Confirmed

As of 10th July 2025, Ofcom has officially approved the proposed changes to Royal Mail’s delivery model.

The updates are designed to streamline operations while preserving key customer expectations. After extensive consultation, we now move into the implementation phase, and Central Mailing is here to guide you every step of the way.

What’s Changing, and What’s Not

What’s Staying the Same:

First Class letters: Monday to Saturday delivery
“One-price-goes-anywhere” model
Parcel delivery: up to 7 days a week
Six-day-a-week collections

What’s Changing:

Second Class letters: Now delivered Monday to Friday only
DSA Standard: Moving from D+2 to D+3
DSA Economy: Still D+5, but Monday to Friday only
DSA Priority: Still D+2, 6 days a week — with updated barcode requirements
Door-to-Door campaigns: Delivery now Monday to Friday only

Mail Still Delivers: Stats from the Day

One of the standout takeaways from the workshop was just how powerful mail remains in today’s digital world:

Mail stays in the home for an average of 7 days
A single piece of mail is revisited 4.4 times
It holds attention for over 2 minutes, far longer than most digital advertisements
ROI for direct mail in the retail sector increased by 32% (reaching £7.80) vs the last full calendar year
Almost 1 in 5 mailings (17.5%) sparked a conversation in the household

Mail is far from fading, and if anything, continuing to thrive as one of the most engaging, trusted and effective marketing channels available in 2025.

Key Takeaways from the Workshop

Royal Mail’s delivery reforms are happening, confirmed and in motion
Second Class and DSA services are seeing the biggest changes
First Class, parcels, and core features remain robust
Mail continues to outperform digital on engagement and attention
Central Mailing is your expert partner, with direct Royal Mail access and insight

What’s Next?

The implementation phase is beginning, and we’re committed to keeping you ahead of the curve.

We’ll be hosting a series of follow-up webinars in the coming weeks to:

Dive deeper into what the reforms mean for your business
Answer your operational and marketing questions
Provide ongoing updates as the roll-out progresses

Whether you joined us in June or couldn’t make it, you won’t miss a beat.

Final Thank You

We’re thrilled so many of you found the event valuable and appreciated having direct access to Royal Mail’s team.

So once again, a huge thank you to our attendees, partners, speakers, and everyone who made the day a success.

The conference was about you, and everybody contributed to a very productive, informative and thought-provoking discussion.

Stay in the Know

Want to be the first to hear about our webinars, reform updates, and mailing strategy tips?

Subscribe to our mailing list or reach out to your CMS account manager today.

Together, we’ll keep your mail moving; smoothly, strategically, and confidently into the future.

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