Swiss Post in multi-million post office development
Swiss Post could invest up to CHF 120m (EUR 90m) to create 30 new flagship post offices.
The company is set to invest CHF 40m in the first ten locations by 2012. If the concept is a success, Swiss Post plans to implement a second phase of 20 more of the new-style post offices by 2014, with an investment volume of CHF 80m.
The plans form part of an agenda to enhance its sales network of over 3,600 access points to focus more strongly on customer needs.
Speaking to Post&Parcel, Mariano Masserini, a spokesman for Swiss Post, said: “Swiss Post wants to offer customers a modern shopping experience in the new locations. We want to be there, where our customers are.”
At these integrated post office locations, Swiss Post plans to launch a fresh new look with open counters, a shop featuring brand-name articles, as well as consulting areas for postal products and financial products from PostFinance.
Masserini added: “Swiss Post wants to focus more and more on the customer needs. Integrating a full-range of services under one roof will allows us to be more successful in the future. At the same time, we want to improve our offer in urban areas with access points tailored to specific customer behaviour.”
Furthermore, the move will enable Swiss Post to strengthen its presence at high-traffic locations.
The first three new-style post offices are set to open in Horgen, Martigny and Köniz in autumn 2011.
PostFinance has enjoyed strong growth in recent years. The sale of financial products is therefore attracting increasing interest among Swiss Post customers.
Swiss Post boasts one of the densest networks of access points in the world. On 31 August 2010, it operated 3,607 customer access points with 2,319 post offices and agencies, 1,181 home-delivery services, 103 PickPost collection points and four internal mail solutions. Swiss Post has created an additional 80 or more access points since 2005 alone.
“Retail equates to an income of almost CHF 500m for Swiss Post. This is a welcome contribution to finance post offices, which traditionally show a deficit,” Masserini concluded.
