Overview
Royal Mail is the United Kingdom's designated universal postal service, delivering letters and parcels to every address in the UK, with Parcelforce Worldwide for express and international parcels. For an e-commerce brand selling to UK shoppers, Royal Mail is one of the main carriers for parcels, returns and international shipping.
Who is behind Royal Mail
Royal Mail has more than 500 years of history and is part of International Distribution Services (IDS), which also owns the European parcel network GLS. In 2025 the Czech investment group EP Group, controlled by Daniel Křetínský, acquired IDS, which then left the stock market. In the financial year that ended on 29.03.2026, Royal Mail's revenue grew 2.6% to about GBP 8.4 billion, and the wider IDS group had revenue of GBP 13.6 billion.
Parcels are the growth engine
Royal Mail handled 1.44 billion parcels in 2025/26, up 7%, while addressed letters fell 10%. In the 2025 peak season it delivered its biggest ever volumes. Royal Mail is also building out its "out of home" network: it has more than 24,000 parcel points, making it the UK's largest network of this kind, it bought a 49% stake in Collect+, and it launched the Royal Mail Shop brand. Out-of-home parcel volumes grew around 40% over the year. Royal Mail also signed a new agreement with Vinted to handle more of its parcels.
What Royal Mail offers brands
- UK parcel delivery to every address, with tracked and signed-for options.
- Out-of-home delivery and drop-off through parcel lockers, shops and Post Offices.
- Returns for online shoppers.
- International shipping with standard, tracked and signed services, plus express services through Parcelforce Worldwide.
- Business accounts and integrations with e-commerce platforms and marketplaces for labels and tracking.
Things brands should know
- The UK is outside the EU. Brands shipping from the EU to UK customers need to handle customs and UK VAT, which affects delivery times and costs.
- Service changes. Ofcom changed Royal Mail's universal service rules in 2025, and Royal Mail is rolling out changes to its letter service. Its parcel obligations remain in place.
- Contracted rates. Business prices depend on volume, size and service level.
Why Royal Mail matters for brands
Royal Mail reaches every UK address and has the country's largest network of parcel points, which matters for shoppers who want to collect or drop off parcels close to home. For a brand selling in the UK, it is one of the core carriers to consider.
How eBrands looks at Royal Mail
eBrands works with brands on webshops, marketplaces and retail channels across Europe and North America. If you want to see how a UK logistics setup with partners like Royal Mail could support your channels, we are happy to talk it through.
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