TNT plans to deliver a larger workforce

A MAJOR rival to Royal Mail yesterday announced plans to expand its workforce by a fifth and bolster its regional presence.

TNT Post, which currently handles some 280 million items a month, is also planning to invest 3 million in sorting and processing technology.

It expects to have more than 1,000 employees in the UK following the recruitment drive.

TNT has a network of five regional offices and will extend this to cover a new hub in Northern Ireland in the autumn. It is also looking for a central distribution hub to increase its capacity.

The Dutch-owned firm entered the UK market six years ago. It expressed an interest in buying a stake in Royal Mail last year under plans to part-privatise the postal operator, which were later scrapped.