Deutsche Post plans hikes to German letter postage rates to offset rising costs

Oct 20 (Reuters) - Deutsche Post, part of DHL, said on Tuesday it planned to raise letter postage rates for private customers in Germany from the start of January, amid rising costs and regulatory pressure.

Subject to final approval by Germany's Federal Network Agency, the price of a standard domestic letter would rise to €1.15 from €0.95, the German postal operator said in a statement.

• Despite rising costs and regulatory burdens in Germany, the price will remain below the European average of €1.52

• For international mail, the price of a standard letter would increase to €1.45 from €1.25

• "Unlike many other European countries, this transformation is taking place without government support. Therefore, price increases are unavoidable," said Nikola Hagleitner, DHL board member for Post & Parcel Germany

• Deutsche Post expects the impact on consumers to be limited, with the planned changes set to raise average monthly postal spending for private households by about €0.75

• It will also adjust parcel prices for business customers, a move separate from the Federal Network Agency's review

(Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff and Anastasiia Kozlova, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)