Postal Digest – News from Poland, Latvia, China, Spain and Austria

Some more of the latest headlines from around the postal world, with Polish Post relocating its HQ, China Post signing a banking ally, and new Austrian Post appointments.

Polish Post signs deal for HQ relocation

Polish Post has signed a lease to relocate its headquarters to Warsaw’s Intraco Tower from October.

The state-owned postal operator said its lease for its current HQ was due to run out in November, but the new location in one of the city’s tallest buildings will offer better conditions. Polish Post has leased about 7,000 square metres of office space for its new HQ.

However, the location looks set to be only temporary, as Polish Post has also reserved space in a new commercial building project in southern Warsaw, Domaniewska 37C, which is currently in the design stage but due for completion in 2015.

Lativian Post battling last mile delivery barriers

Latvian Post says the most common external cause of disruptions in its mail delivery services are inadequate letter boxes, uncontrolled household pets and properties with poorly market street numbers.

Address quality has been a particular issue – the national postal operator said property developers were putting up new streets next to existing buildings to confuse the numbering system, while there were also situations where different customers in the same building were giving different street numbers for the address, and “absurd” cases where different houses on the same street had the same number.

Latvian Post said no less important were the issues of household mailboxes being damaged, unidentifiable or poorly located, while dog attacks have also proved a problem, with 37 attacks in 2011. The Post is warning residents that under a government order, it has the right to refuse mail delivery for customers failing to adhere to certain standards of access.

Correos allies with ecommerce facilitator

Spain’s Correos has formed a partnership with ComerKia, a company that supports SMEs in getting into ecommerce.

ComerKia, part of Madrid-based Inverxa Project Management, builds and hosts ecommerce stores for small business customers, and also provides training and resources to help SMEs in the online retail business. Under the deal with Correos, it will use the Spanish postal service as exclusive logistics partner for all of its customers.

Correos will be providing its Postal 48/72 parcel service for ComerKia customers, which offers four different delivery options including home delivery, collection at a delivery office, collection at a chosen post office and returns. Correos said it will be offering 100 free shipments in the first few months of the contract.

China Post partners with ICBC bank

The China Post Group has signed a strategic cooperation deal with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) to partner on financial services, mail and courier services.

The two sides pledged to establish a long-term partnership that will see China Post providing a full range of postal, finance, courier and other services for the bank. This will range from direct mail and billing to ecommerce services and value-added services.

As well as making use of China Post’s network to promote its services, ICBC will work with China Post on common public relations and social welfare activities to increase brand awareness and influence.

Austrian Post appoints chiefs for procurement and strategy

A new chief procurement officer and a new head of strategy and corporate development have started at Austria Post as of this month.

Horst Ulrich Mooshandl, 36, has been appointed to head up procurement and lead the strategic direction of purchasing at Austria Post. Mooshandl comes to Austria Post from Deutsche Telekom in Bonn, where he was senior vice president of procurement and supply. A native of Upper Austria, he is also a former T-Mobile Austria senior vice president of procurement and Siemens IT procurement executive.

Carsten Wallmann, 38, is leading Austria Post’s Department of Strategy and Corporate Development, having been a special advisor for strategic projects within the company since August 2011. Born in Hamburg, Dr Wallmann was a McKinsey consultant from 2003 to 2011, but has a background in business law.