The French government has authorised SNCF to buy back, for a token €1, the 15% stake Geodis acquired in parcels firm Sernam 18 months ago.
The stake was the first stage in Geodis, whose main shareholder is also SNCF, taking majority control of Sernam from 2006 and ensuring its survival.
The troubled Hays group has plunged deeper into the red with £628.4m (t892.2m) in write-offs and charges tied in to its long-term plan to focus on recruitment.
Most of the charges are attributed to the write-downs of the support services group’s document storage and logistics arms, both of which are for sale.
APC Overnight claims to have cut an hour off its departure times, thanks to its move to a new national sortation centre in July. “We now have 56 doors instead of eight and the operation is already showing evidence of measurable improvements in efficiency, ” said director of communications Vince Friery.
The move was just one junction up the M6 motorway from the company’s former hub at Darlaston to the new site at Essington, Staffordshire. It was the fourth move in the nine years since APC Overnight was launched as the Alternative Parcel Company. Today a £30m (t43.2m) business, APC is currently growing at 40% and has also invested £250,000 (t360,000) in its IT this year.
The move to the new hub was “virtually seamless”, Friery added. “We closed the door at the old hub on the Friday, moved over the weekend and were up and running on Monday morning. We had a couple of teething issues, as you would expect from such a major move, but within 48 hours it was as though we had always been based at Essington.” Pictured discussing APC’s new software are IT manager Steve Wood and director of IT Nick Taylor
Read MoreEuroExpress, the independent distribution consortium, has pledged to double its coverage from 10 to 21 member countries and believes it can take the fight to postal authorities, integrators and their many subsidiaries.
Read MoreAmtrak Express Parcels has added two new options to its express delivery product portfolio.
The first sees the company extend its working day from 8.30am until 8.30pm, or customers can choose a delivery time window between 5.30pm and 8.30pm. “This marks the end of one of the commonest complaints surrounding home deliveries – waiting in all day for a parcel, ” said a spokesperson.
Read MoreThe UK market for express deliveries is set to remain “buoyant” according to a new report published by Market and Business Development (MBD).
However, the pace of growth between 2004 and 2008 is forecast to be slower than over the last four years, mainly because of slower global economic growth.
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation, has been awarded 13 additional frequencies in and out of Hong Kong by the United States Department of Transportation, the company announced here Monday.
The 13 additional frequencies allow FedEx to enhance service in Asia Pacific and Europe, benefiting multiple customers in the markets, said David L. Cunningham, Jr., president of FedEx Express Asia Pacific Division.
Read MoreUPS is seeking to make use of potential business opportunities in the Southeast Asian markets.
The company has started daily flights between its Philippine base and Kuala Lumpur using a chartered Boeing 737 aircraft, and is planning similar services linking Bangkok next month with a Boeing 757.
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