am/pm stores to handle Japan Post parcels

Major convenience store chain am/pm Japan Co. plans to start handling parcels for Japan Post’s door-to-door delivery service at all its 1,400 outlets across Japan next spring, company officials said Monday.

am/pm Japan has already started testing the service at 10 outlets, the officials said.

The company has been handling Nippon Express Co.’s Pelican parcel-delivery service. The convenience store chain plans to handle Japan Post parcels in parallel with the Pelican service, they said.

Earlier in the day, officials at Daily Yamazaki Co., the operator of 2,000 convenience stores across Japan, said the company plans to start handling Japan Post parcels at all of the outlets next spring.

Daily Yamazaki currently accepts Japan Post parcels at 16 outlets in the Tokyo metropolitan area, with Nippon Express in charge of transporting them to nearby post offices.

Daily Yamazaki will expand the service nationwide, the officials said. Daily Yamazaki began handling parcel delivery for Japan Post at six outlets in June.

The expanded tie-ups mark more moves by the state-backed postal entity to step up parcel-delivery services in cooperation with the private sector, following its recent linkup with major convenience store operator Lawson Inc.

Daily Yamazaki and major courier service operator Nippon Express have been in talks on whether the latter will continue to take charge of shipping Japan Post parcels between Daily Yamazaki outlets and post offices under the expanded tie-up service, officials of the two companies said.

Aside from Japan Post parcels, Daily Yamazaki currently handles parcels of Nippon Express at all its outlets.

In contrast with Yamato Transport Co., which has filed a suit seeking to halt Japan Post’s tie-up with Lawson, Nippon Express does not plan to take similar action because its contract with Daily Yamazaki does not award it exclusive rights, a Nippon Express official said.

Yamato Transport has decided to terminate its alliance in parcel delivery service with Lawson when the current contract expires Nov. 19, due to the tie-up agreement between the convenience store chain and Japan Post.

Lawson said it wants to renew the partnership contract with Yamato Transport while starting to handle Japan Post parcels from mid-November. But Yamato Transport refused the offer, claiming it cannot compete fairly with the state-backed Japan Post, which receives preferential treatment in taxation and other areas.