Fortec offers deal for larger payloads
Fortec Pallet Distribution Network has introduced a new sliding scale pricing scheme for larger consignments of palletised freight sent through its network of nearly 60 depots.
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Post office banking delivers
European banks have been slow to exploit the distribution capabilities of domestic post office networks, focusing instead on the expansion opportunities provided by organic growth and mergers and acquisitions (M&A), said Carl Holsters, member of the executive committee of the Belgian Post Group, speaking at VRL’s International Retail Banking Forum (IRBF) last month.
And with revenues from postal services shrinking, the contribution made by retail financial services is becoming increasingly significant, helping European post offices prepare for full deregulation of the postal sector in 2009, when they will lose their national mail monopolies.
Read MoreUK stamp rise to fund mail pension hole
Stamp prices will be linked in future to the size of the Royal Mail pension deficit under plans being drawn up by the postal regulator, PostComm. The scheme, which forms part of PostComm’s current review of the prices Royal Mail is allowed to charge, is intended to combat unpredictable fluctuations in the deficit caused by factors such as increases in life expectancy and stock market performance. The deficit has shot up from pounds 2.5 billion to pounds 4.5bn this year thanks to accountancy changes, which have stretched Royal Mail’s finances, making it ‘technically insolvent’, according to its chairman Allan Leighton. Sarah Chambers, the chief executive of PostComm, said: ‘We are considering a mechanism that would allow large fluctuations in the pension fund deficit to be reflected in postage prices. If the deficit were to rise substantially, for example as a result of equity markets falling, then this would feed through to higher stamp prices and vice versa.’
Read MoreParcel giants bid for Royal Mail’s Euro arm
Royal Mail is under intense pressure from the Treasury to sell its successful European parcels business, GLS, as well as billions of pounds worth of property. Ministers and officials have told Allan Leighton, Royal Mail’s chairman, that the company must raise cash to help fill the pounds 4bn hole in its pension fund. “There is no way that we can simply write a cheque for billions to sort out the pension fund when the company is sitting on assets worth a fortune,” said a government member. Leighton has received approaches from the world’s largest logistics businesses, FedEx, UPS and TNT, all of which want to buy GLS. “We could sell it tomorrow,” said an executive close to Royal Mail. Leighton is determined to retain GLS. He believes Royal Mail’s future prosperity relies to an extent on its ownership of an unregulated, international business such as GLS.
Read MoreProtests at secrecy over UK Royal Mail findings
Alan Johnson, the trade and industry secretary, is to keep secret the findings of an independent expert advising the government on Royal Mail’s future, a move that yesterday sparked cross-party protests ahead of a decision on the postal operator’s ownership. The Department of Trade and Industry has ruled out making public any of the advice provided by Sir George Bain, whose work was commissioned by Mr Johnson in the summer. The decision, revealed in a written parliamentary answer this week, has prompted immediate calls for Sir George’s findings to be published alongside a government decision ex-pected within months on plans by Royal Mail’s management for an employee share giveaway.
There is growing concern among Labour backbenchers and trade unions that ministers could renege on a manifesto policy to keep the Royal Mail in “public hands” by agreeing to a proposal from Allan Leighton, chairman, to give employees tradeable shares in the business.
Business Is flourishing for Portuguese Post CTT
The state owned Portuguese mail service provider CTT Correios de Portugal would like to generate sales of EUR 175 million in the express mail sector in 2006, according to its president Luis Nazare. CTT took over the Spanish CEP company Tourline Express about a year ago.
Read MorePosten Interim Report January-September 2005
Net sales totaled SEK 18,285m (18,215)
– Operating earnings totaled SEK 942m (784). Last year’s operating earnings included capital
gains of SEK 206m
– After-tax earnings totaled SEK 939m (884). Last year’s figure included a positive tax effect of
SEK 163m resulting from an accounting change
– Equity-assets ratio was 30 percent (24)
– Cash flows from operating activities totaled SEK 1,023m (557)
Irish An Post staff accused of sabotage in bid to turn public against company
Postal workers are waging a campaign of sabotage and disruption against An Post, it was claimed last night. The company said that the aim was to ratchet up the pressure ahead of threatened industrial action next week over An Post’s refusal to implement an agreed pay increase. In the past month alone An Post has logged more than 30 incidents of what it believes are deliberate attempts to delay mail services in order to get the public “off side” with An Post by presenting it as being unable to run an efficient service. He cited experienced drivers “getting lost” on their way to mail centres in Dublin, Cork, Portlaoise and Athlone. Communications Workers’ Union general secretary Steve Fitzpatrick said that if allegations that his members had wilfully delayed mail were substantiated, he would not defend them. However, he said that his union had been accused of intimidation, fraud and now sabotage and “there was not one shred of evidence the CWU was behind this”.
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