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DHL makes offer for remaining shares of Blue Dart Express Ltd

Posted by | Aug 17, 2006 | |

DHL, the express and logistics company, has offered to purchase the shares in Blue Dart Express Ltd it does not already own, and delist the Indian express company in a further step to strengthen and expand its market leading position in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets. DHL, via its Singapore subsidiary DHL Express (Singapore) Pte Ltd, currently owns 81.03% of Blue Dart.

As the leading international express and logistics company, DHL has an extensive history of 27 years in India. DHL has invested USD 250 million in expanding the company’s footprint in India in recent years. This includes USD 163 million for the acquisition of the majority stake in Blue Dart Express in 2004.

India is a major engine for growth of DHL’s business in Asia Pacific, and the company is committed to provide superior customer service based on a world-class network infrastructure. In India, DHL, together with Blue Dart, have over 40,000 customers serviced by 7,400 employees through a combined national network of 14,000 locations, and a fleet of almost 3,000 vehicles.

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Worries on mail pricing switch

Posted by | Aug 17, 2006 | |

Changes in the way mail is priced could cause confusion at the post office, a watchdog has warned.

From Monday, postage will be based on the size and thickness of the item, as well as the weight.

Postwatch Midlands, the watchdog for postal services, accepts the new system is fair – but fears customers are not fully prepared.

Regional manager Shirley Goodchild said: “We understand and accept why this is being implemented. It makes sense for prices to represent the actual costs.

“Our concern is ensuring that customers understand what is happening, especially those who are vulnerable. Otherwise, it could lead to confusion and long queues at post offices.”

Online shopping has led to an increase in the number of packages sent through the post. Royal Mail says the size of the post affects the cost of processing and delivery as much as the weight.

Mail will be split into three sections: letter – such as postcards; greetings cards, and bills; large letters – including magazines; and packets – such as video cassettes, posters or large documents.

A one-month amnesty will be in place for customers who do not use the correct value of stamps. After that, mail could be returned to the sender or the recipient could be charged.

Royal Mail is spending GBP 10m on a publicity campaign, but Postwatch has questioned whether individual post offices are fully geared up.

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Two free newspapers launched in Denmark with home delivery

Posted by | Aug 17, 2006 | |

Two free newspapers with home delivery were launched in Denmark on Thursday, bringing to six the number of freebies available in the Scandinavian country.

Dato, published by the Berlingske Tidende newspaper group, is distributed in the greater Copenhagen area, and Aarhus, Denmark’s second-biggest city.

The paper will initially have a circulation of 300,000, but is expected to reach half a million by the autumn, according to the publisher.

Meanwhile, 24timer is published by the Jyllands-Posten/Politiken newspaper group. It has a circulation of 500,000 and is also distributed in Copenhagen and several other cities.

The two newspapers are the first freebies to be delivered to readers’ homes early in the morning.

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Blue Dart board approves DHL's delisting proposal

Posted by | Aug 17, 2006 | |

Domestic courier company Blue Dart Express Ltd today said its board of directors have approved the proposal made by its promoter DHL Express (Singapore) Pte Ltd to buy the outstanding publicly held shares of the company and delist its shares from the bourses.

DHL had proposed the purchase of the outstanding publicly held shares of Blue Dart and the delisting of the company under Securities and Exchange Board of India (Delisting of Securities) Guidelines, 2003, Blue Dart informed the Bombay Stock Exchange.

An EGM of the company would be held on September 20 to seek shareholders approval for the delisting proposal, it added.

As on March 31, DHL Express (Singapore) Pte Ltd holds 81.03 per cent stake in Blue Dart Express amounting to 1.92 crore equity shares, retail investors hold 4.09 per cent. While, mutual funds and UTI hold 11.18 per cent stake in the company.

Shares of the company were trading at Rs 571.05, down 2.96 per cent at the BSE.

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India Post to set up a bank

Posted by | Aug 17, 2006 | |

In a dramatic attempt to wipe out the Rs 1,000 crore deficit that India Post currently runs, it has started work to set up a bank. Tentatively called the Post Bank of India, sources say it will start operating with 30 branches towards the end of this year – next year on the outside.

During the course of the 11th five year plan, the idea is to open 1,500 branches across the country. In many ways, the move mirrors a transformation that was engineered by the Italian postal service.

After years of mounting losses broke its back, Poste Italiana started using its network to run everything, from a bank to selling vacuum cleaners. The gamble paid off and CEO Massimo Sarmi is now spoken of in revered tones.

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Innovation is key to regaining pricing power and growing revenues, according to Kanbay Research Institute's 2006 Retail Demand Today Report

Posted by | Aug 17, 2006 | |

Even though consumers in the US today have more places and ways to shop than ever before, industry growth has been cut in half when comparing 2000-2005 to 1995-2000. The primary cause of the decline is due to a lack of retailer innovation, according to Kanbay Research Institute’s (KRI) latest report on retail demand. The report, which was released today, is entitled “Retail Demand Today: How Well Retailers Deliver on America’s Shopping Desires.” The report augments the data presented in Retail Demand Insights 2006, a co-branded report between the KRI and the NRF Foundation and sponsored by SAP Americas, which was released at the NRF’s annual convention in January 2006. Although retailers as a group have improved their delivery substantially since 2004, pricing power with consumers has dropped 68% from 8.1% to 2.6%. Most improvement has focused on either cost-cutting or opening more stores. Yet, shoppers increasingly want retailers to better connect with them in new and exciting ways.

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Correos adds ONO to the bill payment services available at its offices

Posted by | Aug 16, 2006 | |

As of today the ONO bill payment service for bills not paid by direct debit is available throughout CORREOS’ network of more than 2,000 computerised offices all over Spain

Under the agreement ONO, a landline telephone, internet and cable television provider with more than 1.9 million customers, joins the many businesses and companies that have put their trust in CORREOS to collect payment of their bills.

The bill payment service provided by CORREOS offers citizens advantages such as the convenience of always finding post office nearby, thanks to the size of the network, as well as their ample opening hours – from 8:30 am until 2:30 pm in offices with morning opening hours and from 8:30 am until 8:30 pm in those offices that are open all day.Offices located in shopping centres provide this service during the same opening hours as the centre, including the public holidays on which the centre is open.

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Post Office hopes more people will use self-service machines

Posted by | Aug 16, 2006 | |

Self checkout lines are becoming more and more popular at grocery stores, and the U.S. Postal Service is working to join the trend of encouraging people to do it themselves.

The Post Office hopes to develop greater awareness of “Automated Postal Centers”. They were set up in three Roanoke area post offices more than 18 months ago, but so far, their use has not met expectations.

The APC’s allow you to buy stamps and place many packages in the mail 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can find them at the Main Post Office near the Roanoke Civic Center, the Cave Spring branch, and the Hollins branch on Williamson Road.

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