PostNL to end UK arm Whistl's E2E operations

(Reuters) - Dutch-based postal company PostNL NV said on Wednesday it has decided to end its British arm Whistl's E2E mail delivery service, putting about 1,800 jobs at risk. Whistl's E2E delivery service handles about 3 million letters on a weekly basis. Whistl's had begun offering the service in a handful of cities and had originally planned to roll out a UK-wide network to rival Britain's Royal Mail before funding issues scuppered the move. It suspended the service in May. PostNL said Whistl is consulting affected employees of E2E through their union and employee representatives to soften the impact of the decision. Whistl, Britain's second-biggest postal operator, said it would focus on its core operations of collecting and sorting mail before handing it over to Royal Mail to deliver. (Reporting by Rishika Sadam in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Plumb)