Royal Mail Group Limited lost its 360-year-old monopoly on parcel delivery from Post Office Ltd. branches in early November after quality concerns led to the postal service signing deals with Evri and DPD. Though Post Office manages a network of 11,500 branches and banking services, Royal Mail was previously responsible for the delivery of all Post Office mail.

According to The Guardian, Evri and DPD will be added as other options available at Post Office counters later this month, the company said, giving customers a mailing choice for the first time. Previously, Post Office only offered alternatives to Royal Mail online.

“We are fundamentally transforming Post Office by introducing new mails carriers for over-the-counter sales for the first time in our 360-year history,” said U.K, Post Office CEO Nick Read. “This expanded partnership with DPD and Evri shows how we are disrupting the mails market to offer greater choice for customers and more opportunities for postmasters as we build a Post Office fit for the future.”

Post Office said that customers raised concerns about Royal Mail either losing parcels or not getting them to their destinations on time. In a November 7 statement, Post Office said that 48% of customers would like to shop around for another mail delivery provider.

This comes at a time when Royal Mail has come under investigation by the communications regulator Ofcom for missing delivery targets during 2022-23. Royal Mail also dealt with strikes during November and December 2022, which hurt the organization’s ability to meet delivery goals.