Author: Archive

FedEx ups ground, home delivery rates by avg of 3.9%

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

FedEx Corp. after Friday’s closing bell said it’s increasing the standard rates for FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery by an average of 3.9% starting Jan. 2. This increase is in addition to other changes to FedEx Express, FedEx Ground and FedEx Home surcharges, which will also become effective Jan. 2. Some of the other changes include FedEx Express and FedEx Ground charging an additional 5 cents a package for delivering to commercial locations in certain zip codes, and an additional 10 cents a package for delivering to residential locations.

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UK Parcelforce has big unfair advantage, says TNT boss

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

Parcelforce has an unfair advantage and should be privatised, the managing director of rival TNT Express Services has claimed. Tom Bell attacked the Royal Mail’s parcel delivery business claiming its VAT exemption was unfair and discriminatory. “It’s not just companies such as mine which are being discriminated against. The taxpayer is losing out because Parcelforce should be paying VAT and those taxes could be used for the greater good of the country,” Mr Bell said. Atherstone-based TNT said the comments echoed sentiments from think-tank The Institute of Economic Affairs. Last year, the IEA said there was no case for Parcelforce to remain in Government ownership and that it should be privatised, even if it led to it going out of business. Mr Bell said: “Parcelforce is subsidised by the Government.

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Pos Malaysia expands global service network

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

PosLaju, the national courier arm of Pos Malaysia Bhd, has embarked on an exercise to expand its global service network to 30 new lanes. This brought its total international delivery service destinations to 92 countries across the globe, said Pos Malaysia &Services (POSHB) in a statement today. Pos Malaysia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of POSHB. Delivery to the 30 new destinations under PosLaju’s international courier services, also known as the Expedited Mail Services (EMS), will take effect on Jan 1, 2006. POSHB said delivery of documents and parcels will be priced on average at 22 percent and 43 percent lower respectively compared to other international courier service providers.

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Taiwan post office to launch foreign currency exchange

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

Chunghwa Post Co, Taiwan’s sole postal service provider, will launch foreign currency exchange on Dec. 7 in the latest event that marks a convergence of postal and financial services at Taiwan’s post offices. Starting Dec. 7, 108 branches under Chunghwa Post Co. throughout the island will offer exchange of four foreign currencies – the US dollar, the yen, the euro and the Hong Kong dollar. At the same time, the post offices will sell mutual funds on behalf of local asset management firms. The expansion of post offices into the banking arena has become an irreversible trend. Even Hsu Jen-shou, chairman of Chunghwa Post Co. , said right now 92 percent of the company’s annual sales of NTD300 billion comes from consumer banking, making it no different from a typical financial holding company.

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Pin-striped postmen banking competition from France’s La Poste must be fair

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

French banks long feared competition would come from abroad. So they busily constructed (often with state help) defensive mergers among themselves to forestall foreign takeovers. But now, they suddenly find themselves bitten in the ankle from behind by the state itself. For the government has pushed its postal service, La Poste, into setting up a banking subsidiary as a full competitor in the lucrative mortgage market. The country’s four main commercial banks have now cried foul to Brussels about this new Banque Postale using its special advantages to distort competition. All European postal systems are diversifying away from their traditional mail delivery business, which is in decline because of the rise of e-mail and is increasingly open to cross-border competition under European Union rules. Governments are also using electronic bank transfers rather than post offices to deliver welfare benefits. So most post offices are trying to capitalise on their large networks to sell financial services products, to the general displeasure of commercial banks.

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UK DMA splits Robottom role to address growth of other media

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

The DMA (UK) is carving up the role of director of industry development and postal affairs – left vacant by the departure of David Robottom (PM October 21) – to reflect the growing importance of other media channels.

Robottom’s main role is to be split in two, with the appointment of a director of media channel development, and a head of postal affairs, who will report to them. Neither post has been filled. His compliance remit will be folded into that of director of compliance Tessa Kelly, while his environmental role will be handed to another, yet to be decided, director.

DMA chairman Charles Ping says: “The decision to split the role reflects changes in the industry. Post, although still a key area, is now just one of the many direct disciplines. These days we’ve got the likes of email, Internet, digital and search-engine marketing, and we’re looking for someone with experience of all media.”

Robottom left at the end of last month, after ten years. He has set up a consultancy with his wife, D&S Consultants, which will offer a range of advice on postal affairs, environmental issues, data and direct marketing. He has already secured a contract with Royal Mail rival TNT UK Mail and data specialist DQM Group (PM November 18).

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Bank rivals in France appeal post office plan

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

A group of leading French banks said Thursday that they had appealed a decision by the French regulator approving plans of the state-owned mail service La Poste to open its own bank in January. The move, which is sure to intensify competition in the country’s banking industry, comes as other countries like Japan are seeking to break up the financial power of their post offices. In France, La Poste secured the approval on Wednesday of the Cecei, the country’s banking regulator, to set up its own retail banking operation. La Poste, the second-biggest European mail operator after Deutsche Post, already gets 23 percent of its revenue from financial services, including checking accounts and long-term savings.

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