Author: Archive

UK Royal Mail Chief Leighton re-appointed

Posted by | Dec 9, 2004 | |

Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton has been re-appointed to his role for another three years, Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt announced.

She told MPs at Commons question time she was “delighted” to renew Mr Leighton’s contract, worth GBP20,000 a year for a two day week.

Later outside the chamber she added: “Royal Mail is a commercial business and we appointed a strong management team to turn that business around.

“Mr Leighton and his team have done an excellent job to help turn a GBP1million a day loss-making business into a GBP1 million a day profitable, sustainable company.

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Irish postal workers ‘facing Royal Mail takeover’

Posted by | Dec 9, 2004 | |

An Post will cease to exist and the Royal Mail will be handling all Irish postal services within a few years, if the current difficulties are not resolved, Communications Minister Noel Dempsey said yesterday. Speaking as up to 8,000 postal workers brought their grievances to the steps of Dáil Éireann yesterday, Mr Dempsey said the only option was for both sides to agree to negotiations. “I don’t particularly want to see the Royal Mail delivering the postal service in Ireland in 2009 but that’s what we’re looking at unless people sit down around the table.”

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Postcomm proposes a licensing framework for the fully open market

Posted by | Dec 9, 2004 | |

Postcomm on 30 November began consulting on the licensing framework which needs to be in place when the market is fully open to competition – Postcomm has proposed from 1 January 2006. The aim is to encourage entry to the market while providing sufficient safeguards to protect the interests of customers. Nigel Stapleton, chairman of Postcomm commented: “These licence proposals are deliberately ‘light touch’ and tread the difficult path between protecting customers while not making it too difficult for companies to enter the competitive market. We want the widest possible variety of companies to feel they can enter the market if they think they can meet the standards and deliver the services customers want.” Among the proposals are two codes of practice, which should be adopted by licensed operators. One would safeguard mail integrity and the other deal with common operational issues.

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Research into Post Office services

Posted by | Dec 9, 2004 | |

Postwatch and Postcomm today announced details of their joint research,into the customer experience of using post offices. The main findings of the research are: 1 in 5 of the researchers had to wait in queues of more than 5 minutes
before being served and 1 in 10 waited for more than 10 minutes. Overall, only 40 per cent of customers were sold the most appropriate service to their needs. The actual total postal spend was half that it would have been had the
appropriate products been sold. Directly managed branches were better equipped than franchise post offices for disabled customers. Over 96% of staff were polite and calm in their dealings with customers.

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TNT Logistics wins DaimlerChrysler contract

Posted by | Dec 8, 2004 | |

DaimlerChrysler UK Limited has awarded TNT Logistics a five year, multi-million pound contract to manage aftermarket distribution of the group’s automotive parts throughout the UK. The group’s product portfolio incorporates Mercedes-Benz: passenger cars, commercial vehicles and Unimog; Chrysler: passenger cars; Jeep: passenger cars; smart: passenger cars and Mitsubishi: commercial vehicles (Canter). The contract, involving distribution of spare parts to around 300 dealers nationwide, will commence in April 2005. It will operate from DaimlerChrysler’s European Logistics Centre (ELC) and central distribution facility in Milton Keynes. TNT Logistics will utilise its extensive support network to facilitate the operation.

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TPG lifts target to 10% for express delivery unit

Posted by | Dec 8, 2004 | |

TPG yesterday set a new medium-term target for its express delivery business, saying the unit would achieve a 10 per cent operating margin in 2007. The division is forecast to achieve a 7.5-8 per cent margin for 2004. In October it posted earnings before interest, tax and amortisation of EUR72m in the third quarter, from group ebita of EUR255m (USD342m). Separately, Jan Haars, TPG chief financial officer, told analysts in Rotterdam that the company “might be prepared to live” with a one-notch credit rating downgrade “if the right [acquisition] opportunity presents itself”. It is currently rated A1 by Moody’s and A by Standard & Poors. TPG would use surplus cash for investments, rather than share buy-backs, he said. It is targeting acquisitions in freight forwarding, to fill gaps in its express network in emerging markets, and for European mail consolidation and Chinese growth.

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Deutsche Post mulling bid for stake in Belgium’s La Poste

Posted by | Dec 8, 2004 | |

Deutsche Post AG said it is considering bidding for a stake in Belgian postal company La Poste.

‘We are looking at this possibility,’ a Deutsche Post spokesman said, adding a decision has not been made yet.

The Belgian state said today it has started its search for a strategic partner for La Poste.

The future partner is invited to take ‘a significant equity interest’ in the company, but the Belgian state will remain majority shareholder.

Morgan Stanley has been appointed advisor for the deal.

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Belgian govt seeks partner for national post service La Poste

Posted by | Dec 8, 2004 | |

The Belgian state said it has started its search for a strategic partner for the country’s post service La Poste.

‘Following a decision taken by the Belgian state in October 2004 — that La Poste will seek an alliance with a strategic partner — the Belgian state has decided to formally launch the process for such a strategic partnership,’ said the ministry of state-owned enterprises in a statement.

The future partner is invited to take ‘a significant equity interest’ in the company, but the Belgian state will remain majority shareholder.

The part-privatisation will lead to the ‘strengthening of La Poste’s financial situation, the strengthening of its core business activities and the assistance in the overall modernisation’.

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