National postal service operator Ceska posta sees letter delivery fall nearly 10 % in 1H
The national postal service Ceska posta (CP) delivered 292 mln letters and postcards in the first six months of 2003, a drop of 9 % yr/yr.
The firm managed to hike revenues however, by 8.6 % yr/yr to CZK 2.12 bn.
CP attributes the decrease in number of letters delivered to greater interest in e-mail and SMS, CP spokesman Ladislav Vancura told the CTK news agency.
The number of registered letters sent by CP remained flat yr/yr at 53 mln in the monitored period, while revenues rose 17 % yr/yr to CZK 1.03 bn.
CP sent almost 12 mln letters abroad in 1H 2003, a drop of 17 % yr/yr. CP attributes the decline mainly to the lower number of tourists visiting the CR. Revenues for the segment decreased by 15 % yr/yr to CZK 257 mln.
CP’s revenues from money orders added 7 % yr/yr to just over CZK 1 bn in January to June.
CP delivered a total of 613 mln letters last year, an increase of 17 mln over 2001. The firm grossed CZK 560 mln in 2002, down 20.5 % from 2001.
CP is owned by the state. The firm operates 3,400 outlets and employs 39,000 people. The government plans to transform CP into a joint-stock company but has no plans to privatize it.
