The Royal Mail was today given the go-ahead to raise first- and second-class stamps by 1p from April, but strict price controls will be put in place for the next few years to limit further increases. A new compensation scheme will be launched for late mail, which could payout GBP10 if post is delayed by 10 days or more.
Read MorePostcomm today announced its revised proposals for a price control that will permit Royal Mail to raise the price of 1st and 2nd class stamps by 1p from April 2003 – and give it the option to raise 2nd class stamp prices by a further 1p in 2004 or 2005. Today’s proposals take account of 21 responses to the consultation on Postcomm’s initial proposals, published in October 2002. The three-year control, published today for statutory consultation, will allow Royal Mail approximately £750m extra cash over the three years.
Read MoreRoyal Mail last night moved closer totaking its regulator, Postcomm, to the competition commission despite winning final approval to increase first and second class post charges by 1p from April 17
Accusing Postcomm of asking Royal Mail to “sign up to three years of regulatory treacle” through strict price controls, chairman Allan Leighton insisted these would impose cuts in real terms.
Royal Mail, which says it is losing more than pounds 1m a day, has been given 28 days to respond to Postcomm’s latest proposals but its new board is expected to argue that the price controls put at risk its “renewal” plan to restore profitability within three years.
Read MoreHertfordshire- based CTL, the Pallet distribution arm of conference trucking, has been unveiled as the latest member of Pall-Ex.
The family-run business, which specialises in exhibition and media equipment, will cover the Harrow and NW London postcodes.
The Milan-Peschiera Borromeo Center of International Exchange of the Italian post, where much of the international mail in Italy passes through received a “certificate of excellence” from the International Post Corporation. The IPC certificate is issued when an International postal exchange center stands out for its quality and efficiency of mail handling.
Read MoreIncreasing numbers of people in Portugal are using web cards, e-mail and mobile text messages to keep in touch with friends and family, prompting a decline in traditional mail traffic.
During the last two months of 2002, usually the post office’s busiest period due to the Christmas holidays, mail volume fell by four million pieces to 273 million when compared to the same time in the previous year.
Read MoreDeutsche Post World Net AG and mail-order company Quelle have signed an agreement in which about 1,000 Quelle shops will offer basic postal services, however a spokesman said it is too early to say whether this will lead to the closure of 1,000 postal branches.
The spokesman said a pilot project, in which 1,000 Quelle shops will offer postal services, will start in spring 2003 and the results will be known by the summer.
Read MoreRoyal Mail is considering an appeal to the Competition Commission after its regulator indicated a new package of price controls yesterday. The organisation had begged Postcomm to change its mind on original proposals, which pegged a penny increase on first- and second-class stamps to a complex formula to keep it from raising the average price of products. Yesterday’s revised proposals involved a “tariff basket” form of price control, which means that almost all Royal Mail services will still effectively be price-capped.
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