Ofcom Accepts Industry Challenge to Royal Mail Price Increases
There has been an important development regarding the Royal Mail Wholesale postage price increases announced earlier this year. The proposed increases would have had a significant impact on businesses and organisations that rely on mail, particularly those operating with fixed budgets.
Royal Mail Wholesale announced proposed price increases that were due to take effect from 5th October 2026. These included a 12.5% increase on some of the core services used by businesses across the mailing industry, with some services facing increases of more than 30%. Paragon Print, alongside 15 other organisations across the mailing industry, supported a formal challenge to the proposed price increases through an Access Dispute submitted to Ofcom.
We are pleased to confirm that Ofcom has now accepted the dispute and will investigate the proposed price increases.
What does this mean?
Most importantly, the proposed Royal Mail Wholesale price increases cannot now be implemented on 5th October 2026 as originally planned.
This is a positive development for our customers and the wider mailing industry, providing some additional certainty while the dispute is considered.
It is important to note that this does not mean that Royal Mail price increases have been cancelled permanently. The outcome of the Ofcom process is still to be determined.
What happens now?
There are a few potential outcomes as a result of the Ofcom dispute. Royal Mail may choose to propose revised price increases during the process. Under the current contractual arrangements, any new prices would require 10 weeks’ notice, meaning they could not take effect until around mid-to-late November at the earliest.
Alternatively, Ofcom may complete its investigation before any revised prices are introduced. The investigation is expected to take around 17 weeks, which could mean any potential price changes are pushed into 2027.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep our customers informed as further information becomes available. For now, the proposed 5th October Royal Mail Wholesale price increases will not go ahead as originally announced.
If you have any questions about how the proposed Royal Mail price increases and ongoing situation may affect your mailing activity, please speak to your usual Paragon Print contact, or get in touch with us directly.