An Post “targeting” parcels market
An Post has announced that it has a “clear intention” to “target” the parcel market and to “aggressively grow” its current 25% market share by making it easy for companies and consumers to sell, to buy, to receive and return goods, wherever and whenever they choose.
In a statement issued earlier this week, An Post said: “The Irish B2C online market is currently valued at €2.9 billion and is expected to reach €5 billion by 2021. In 2016, the average online shopping spend in Ireland was €553 per head while in the UK it was €1,011, demonstrating the huge growth potential and commercial opportunity in the Irish market.”
An Post General Manager of Parcels, Garrett Bridgeman, commented: “Growing our parcels business by anticipating and delivering precisely those services needed by e-tailers to grow their national and international business is at the heart of our new business strategy.
“We are already winning back market share lost in recent years to private operators who have neither the national reach of An Post, nor the costs associated with providing high quality, secure services to every household in the State. Now we’re using the strength of our national network infrastructure, our fleet, our industry know-how and unrivalled local knowledge to fight back and to grow our current 25% share of the €600m Irish parcel delivery business.
“While traditional letter mail continues to decline steadily all over the world – Irish volumes are down almost 50% in the last decade – parcel volumes are on the rise due to the explosion in online commerce. We recognised this great opportunity, but the way we were operating was losing us business to more flexible, cheaper competitors who could offer more to national and international e-tailers.
“Setting its sights firmly on this market, An Post has made a huge step-change to upgrade and improve its services, introducing evening and Saturday deliveries, later acceptance of items from sending customers, multiple delivery attempts and ‘in-flight’ options for the receiving customers, designed to suit their lifestyles and preferences. An Post has secured the ground-breaking new working arrangements with staff to ensure the cost-effective, flexible working necessary to retain and win business.”
