Postbank and TNT Post focus on own sales outlets

TNT Post and Postbank will be concentrating on their own sales outlets for handling postal and banking business. Both companies announced their intention to transfer their combined services presently offered at the head post offices to their own TNT Post and Postbank locations over the next five years. The current arrangement of head post offices will disappear. The sales outlets in shops where TNT Post and Postbank now jointly offer their services will remain unchanged. With this plan, TNT Post and Postbank are responding to the market trend and catering to the changing demands of the Dutch consumer. The aim of the move for TNT Post and Postbank is to improve the services offered to their own customers.
The new initiatives implemented in recent years by TNT Post and Postbank aimed at catering to changing consumer requirements by locating the services where the consumer now expects to find these have proven very successful, resulting in the growth in the number of customers, customer satisfaction and sales. Over the last few years, the number of head post offices has been cut back from over 2,000 to 250.
Over the next five years, the focus on own sales outlets will result in the disappearance of the activities of the head office of Postkantoren BV in Utrecht and in the 250 remaining head post offices, accompanied by the loss of 1,850 jobs. The two shareholders, TNT Post and Postbank, will make available the financial resources necessary for Postkantoren BV to offer a social plan aimed at guiding all employees into new jobs and avoiding compulsory redundancy as much as possible. A request for a formal opinion on these plans will shortly be submitted to the works councils concerned. TNT Post and Postbank will be concentrating on their own sales outlets for handling postal and banking business. Both companies announced their intention to transfer their combined services presently offered at the head post offices to their own TNT Post and Postbank locations over the next five years. The current arrangement of head post offices will disappear. The sales outlets in shops where TNT Post and Postbank now jointly offer their services will remain unchanged. With this plan, TNT Post and Postbank are responding to the market trend and catering to the changing demands of the Dutch consumer. The aim of the move for TNT Post and Postbank is to improve the services offered to their own customers.
The new initiatives implemented in recent years by TNT Post and Postbank aimed at catering to changing consumer requirements by locating the services where the consumer now expects to find these have proven very successful, resulting in the growth in the number of customers, customer satisfaction and sales. Over the last few years, the number of head post offices has been cut back from over 2,000 to 250.
Yme Pasma, Retail Director at TNT Post: “The vast majority of our customers have by now found their way to other, often more accessible locations. Stamps are sold in supermarkets and local shops. Parcels and registered mail are increasingly being sent and picked up at one of the more than 1,850 TNT Post sales outlets located in shops. And in the coming years we will be adding at least another 750 sales outlets in shops to this number. Companies prefer to use one of the more than 250 TNT Business Points, which offer better accessibility and longer opening hours.”
Bart Schlatmann, Member of the Board of ING Retail: “We will be investing heavily in our own branches so that from 2009 all Postbank customers can be served by ING’s financial advisors at the 283 new-style, easily accessible ING branch offices. With this move we are responding to the increasing demand of our customers for personal financial advice. The new ING branch offices are also open in the evening and at the weekend. Our customers value convenience in their daily banking and like being able to deposit money or pick up their banking card locally. For these services they can also visit one of the present 550 sales outlets in shops, such as those in Bruna bookshops.”
John van der Ent, Director of Postkantoren BV: “Year after year we have seen a decrease in the number of customers and transactions at the main post offices. A considerable number of initiatives have been implemented to try to turn the tide in recent years, but we have reached the conclusion that replacing the head post offices with sales outlets in shops and dedicated financial advice offices is the best way to cater to the wishes of the consumer. This decision was only taken after thoroughly studying a number of alternatives. I appreciate that this will have far-reaching consequences for our staff, and in keeping with our current social policy Postkantoren BV will do everything it can to help these employees on their way to finding new jobs.”
Over the next five years, the focus on own sales outlets will result in the disappearance of the activities of the head office of Postkantoren BV in Utrecht and in the 250 remaining head post offices, accompanied by the loss of 1,850 jobs. The two shareholders, TNT Post and Postbank, will make available the financial resources necessary for Postkantoren BV to offer a social plan aimed at guiding all employees into new jobs and avoiding compulsory redundancy as much as possible. A request for a formal opinion on these plans will shortly be submitted to the works councils concerned.