Fedex May Expand Relationship with La Poste

“FedEx said its partnership agreement with Chronopost, the French postal utility’s express distribution arm, is ‘going well’ and it is also eyeing possible co-operation with La Poste’s airline subsidiary, Europe Airpost. The agreement, which took effect on January 1, 2001, gives Chronopost access to FedEx’s ex-Europe inter-continental network and intra-European network, the focal point of which is its Paris-CDG superhub.” Fedex vice president, operations, southern Europe and Africa, Bernard Mercier told Reuters: “Four months or so into it we are basically very happy with our collaboration and are looking to build on it over the term of the agreement. Chronopost has given us the volumes of traffic it said it would, while we are beginning to enjoy the benefits of its distribution network in France.” Reuters asked about FedEx’s place in a La Poste-driven strategy to forge an alliance of southern European postal utilities. “Mercier said, ‘We can’t comment directly on this but certainly if an alliance did happen and which did encompass intercontinental express traffic, then as La Poste’s integrator partner we’d have a role to play in it, perhaps.'”