DAO strongly disagrees with these fears. It’s historically a newspaper and magazine distributor with nationwide reach, and has become one of the country’s major parcel couriers.
A recent survey found DAO’s deliveries were faster, with more letters arriving within five days than PostNord.
“We are coming to all households, and we are in the rural areas in the whole country,” assures its chief executive Hans Peter Nissen.
Last year it handled 21 million letters and, from 2026, following PostNord’s exit, DAO expects to take on 30 to 40 million more.
Its staff will deliver letters directly, while doing newspaper and parcel rounds, Mr Nissen explains. Meanwhile, post is collected from mailboxes inside affiliated shops, though doorstep pick-ups can be booked for a small additional fee.
DAO plans to install a new sorting machine and add around 250 more staff to its 2,500 workforce.
As physical letters decline across Europe, Denmark’s experience perhaps offers a window on the future.
In this increasingly digital world, however, there are still many who find joy in sending and receiving personal letters, including Copenhagener Jette Eiring Williams, who writes to her daughter overseas.
“I think the young generation wants that old school feeling,” Ms Williams says. “She loves the physical touch of something, so not just an email or a text anymore.”
