TNT Post, the UK arm of Dutch mail group TNT NV said it has formed a strategic partnership with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) to offer postal services to its members. BRC members will be able to use TNT Post’s two-day service for pre-sorted mail with Britain’s Royal Mail continuing to carry out the final mile delivery to customers’ homes.

The BRC membership includes 85 percent of British retailers, such as Tesco, luxury department store Harrods, and baby goods retailer Mothercare. The £6.5 billion British mail industry was deregulated in 2006. Competition for letters in the UK had been limited to bulk mailings of 4,000 items or more.