Deutsche Post to follow Royal Mail’s lead

Germany’s privatised postal service has announced it plans to sell hundreds of its branch offices to other companies, but has no plans to cut jobs in the process.

A Deutsche Post spokesman said the company was planning to sell the majority of its smaller post offices to local businesses such as supermarkets, bakeries and news- agents. The new owners would then offer the same products and services alongside their own core businesses.

A report in the daily newspaper, Luebecker Nachrichten, said some 700 post offices with about 3000 employees would be affected as part of a cost-cutting drive. Deutsche Post closed about 400 branch offices in recent years and now works with more than 8000 partner-run offices.