TNT Post has announced it is to double its London workforce.

In a move seen as an attempt to step up the company's challenge against Royal Mail's market dominance, the company will initially hire an additional 400 posties in Camden, Willesden, Colindale and Harrow. Overall, it aims to increase its current number of employees to 2,000.

On top of this, the firm will open four new units in the capital and intends to establish a complete delivery network to cover the entire country by 2015. This marks a swift transformation for the company, which only began its end-to-end operations in 2012. 

TNT Post's chief executive officer Nick Wells commented: "These jobs are not only good news for north-west London and Harrow but are also good news for the UK economy."

Royal Mail has expressed concerns the move will hinder its ability to deliver a six-day-a-week universal service. It has claimed its rival will be able to cherry-pick only the most profitable parts of the post and simply ignore the rest.