PostNord Sverige AB (formerly Posten AB) is a Swedish postal service and courier company, which is part of PostNord. In 2009 Posten merged with its Danish equivalent, Post Danmark A/S, to form PostNord AB, a company that is jointly owned by the Swedish (60%) and Danish (40%) governments.[1] A rebranding to PostNord for both the mail and logistics divisions was performed in 2015.[2]
The service was established as Kungliga Postverket (The Royal Postal Agency) in 1636 by the Lord High Chancellor of Sweden Axel Oxenstierna, who was de facto regent until the young Queen Christina took the throne in 1644. It was operated as a government agency into the 1990s when it was transformed into a government-owned limited company, Posten AB.
One of the most visible changes to the postal service was the decision in 2000 to replace Posten's numerous post offices with a franchise net of postal service points, run by grocery shops and petrol stations. Postal Service Centres, run by PostNord, are maintained for business clients only.
In addition to regular mail, PostNord is also the largest distributor in Sweden of advertising mail.[3]
Mail and package delivery has in recent times become less reliable in Sweden, accredited to the large scale organisational changes and rationalisation in the last decade.[citation needed] Nevertheless, it is under increasing competition from private companies on the Swedish deregulated postal market.[citation needed] Their main competitor is the formerly private company CityMail, nationalised by Norway as of 2006. [1][permanent dead link]
On 24 June 2009, Posten AB merged with Post Danmark to form the new holding company PostNord AB, owned by the Swedish (60%) and Danish (40%) governments.[4]
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