Rival plans own post box
RIVAL post boxes to Royal Mail could be set up in supermarkets, garages and high street shops under plans by Business Post, the Birmingham mail group.
Business Post is in talks with potential partners to establish a high-street presence to compete with Royal Mail, and also wants to put its own collection boxes in post offices.
A machine with Business Post stamps may be attached to the post box, or stamps could be bought from retailers hosting the new post boxes.
Business Post hopes to take up to 3 per cent of Royal Mail business, which would mean a million items a day with a value of £100 million a year.
Paul Carvell, Business Post’s chief executive, said the regulator had told it that it would be able to extend a current temporary licence into an indefinite one, letting it take bulk business customers from Royal Mail. The company said that it had held talks with banks, utilities and other big businesses to try to undercut Royal Mail’s prices and offer a more time-guaranteed service.
Business Post will be the first full rival for business bulk mail and could begin in May. Hays, which has a trial licence, has been operating a document exchange service.
Consignia, Royal Mail’s holding company, said rivals such as Business Post could endanger its universal service of flat-rate delivery anywhere.
The Times
