The week that was: 26 March 2010
La Poste strikes, Aramex looks to Hong Kong, and Poste Italiane delivers “positive” results… It’s Friday afternoon at Post&Parcel towers and therefore time for The Week That Was – your weekly round-up of the big mail and express stories.
With a Royal Mail agreement signed, sealed and delivered – ending any chance of future strikes in the UK (for now) – Post&Parcel was glad to see an end to such industrial action. Over the English Channel, and the French public have not been as lucky after La Poste workers went on strike on Tuesday. The postal strike formed a part of a nationwide industrial action by the country’s public sector workers. The strikes were in protest against the government’s social and economic policies – coming two days after president Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party suffered a heavy defeat at regional elections.
Middle-Eastern based Aramex has announced expansion in Hong Kong this week. The expansion will see the Hong Kong office become an independent business centre and regional hub focused on expanding operations within Hong Kong, increasing its market share for both express and freight, and improving the visibility of the Aramex brand in Asia’s most critical trading hub, said the express company. “Hong Kong’s superior logistics infrastructure, highly developed economy and advanced transportation network make it a natural choice for Aramex as we expand in the region. We constantly seek new markets and regions to expand our service offerings and client base. Investing and expanding in East Asia is a critical part of our long-term expansion strategy,” country manager of Aramex, Samer Marei, said.
Back to Europe now, and Poste Italiane described its performance as “positive” as it announced net profit was up 2.4% to €904m for 2009. The Group led by Massimo Sarmi reported operating profit up to €1.6bn (€1.5bn in 2008). Total revenue is up 12.6% to €20.1bn, with Insurance Services performing particularly well, having recorded growth of 29% on the previous year. “2009,” declared CEO, Massimo Sarmi, “again saw an improvement in net profit. This is an excellent result, achieved in a year of economic and financial crisis, which also accelerated the decline in the volume of postal services.
And finally…
As media partner to the prestigious World Mail Awards, Post&Parcel wants to remind all readers that companies only have only a few days left to submit their entries, at www.mailawards.com. The closing date has been extended to 31 March. The winners will be announced at the World Mail Awards’ ceremony in Copenhagen on 15 June, on the eve of Triangle Management Services’ World Mail and Express Europe Conference. Apply now and you could be collecting an award this summer!
