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New Post Office trial of atms offers convenient, Commission-free euros and dollars at selected branches

Posted by | Sep 8, 2008 | |

UK holidaymakers can now get commission-free foreign currency from new specially designed cash machines at selected Post Office® branches.

From today, foreign exchange ATMs are being trialled in thirteen branches nationwide, giving people even more convenience when it comes to buying their holiday cash.*

Customers using the ATMs will simply be able to insert their debit cards and select one of two mainstream currencies (euros or US dollars)**. There will be no charge for withdrawing cash, they get the same great exchange rate as over the counter and withdrawals are commission-free too.

The new machines supplied by Bank of Ireland are being trialled to complement the extensive range of counter services already available from Post Office® bureaux de change, making it even easier for holidaymakers to get their Travel Money quickly and efficiently.

The announcement comes as recent figures show that there were 309 million overseas transactions on UK-issued cards last year (three per cent of all transactions on UK-issued cards). In fact using a debit card to withdraw cash abroad is so popular with UK holidaymakers that a total of £7.1 billion was withdrawn from overseas cash machines in 2007.***

Helen Warburton, head of Post Office® travel services, said: “Holidaymakers can make real savings by avoiding all the charges and commission associated with using overseas cash machines abroad, and have more cash to enjoy on holiday instead.

“Our new ATM machines are a hassle-free, convenient and economic way for holidaymakers to get their holiday money from an ATM in this country at the push of a button.”

For those who still want to shop abroad with plastic, the Post Office® credit card is one of the few cards which offers 0% commission on overseas transactions or the pre-paid ‘Travel Money Card’ is available in Sterling, Euros or US Dollars.

Changing money at the Post Office® has never been easier. With a total of 7,600 branches offering currency on-demand over the counter, and an online ordering option at www.postoffice.co.uk for branch collection or home delivery, together with the thirteen new ATM machines, it is the largest and most accessible currency provider in the UK.

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Mexico's postal blues remade in hot pink

Posted by | Sep 7, 2008 | |

Changes include a new logo, new uniforms and pink-and-lime-green painted post offices. Some will also sell cut-rate rice, beans and powdered milk alongside stamps. Coffee mugs and envelopes — something the post office didn’t sell before — will also be available, but only in hot pink and lime green.

The service’s new symbol — a white carrier pigeon holding a letter in its beak — hit the streets last Tuesday 9th September, a day after President Felipe Calderon unveiled the new look at a gala ceremony. The government hopes the new image and services will help the post office break even next year, after annual losses of up to USD 50 million.

But in a country where mail theft is widespread and letters often arrive weeks after they’re sent, the public is skeptical.

The new name, Correos de Mexico, or Mexican Mail, is actually a throwback to the days of the early 20th century, when the service was trusted and the government built a main post office meant to look like a Renaissance palace.

Alberto Izquierdo, a native of Madrid who was waiting in a long line to mail a letter at the main downtown post office, wasn’t impressed.

“I think they’re focusing a little too much on appearances and not substance,” he said.

Mexico’s postal service delivers only about seven pieces of mail per inhabitant per year; Americans get an average of 700.

The low volume reflects a lack of confidence. Federal officials acknowledge most businesses won’t send bills, statements or receipts through the mail, preferring pricey but safer private courier services, about 4,000 of which have sprung up here, according to industry estimates.

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Slovakia faces antitrust proceedings

Posted by | Sep 7, 2008 | |

European antitrust regulators are to bring formal proceedings against Slovakia, accusing the country of re-monopolising part of its postal service.

The move follows unsuccessful talks between Neelie Kroes, the EU competition commissioner, and Lubomir Vazny, the Slovak transport, post and telecoms minister, which ended late on Friday, and could involve Brussels using some of its strongest powers against the central European country.

“Commissioner Kroes has no choice but to pursue the formal antitrust procedure against Slovakia,” said officials.

The problem centres on so-called “hybrid mail services”. These are used mainly by banks, insurance companies, utilities and the like, and involve the sender transferring letters or communications to a third party operator, who prints and delivers the mail. Such services are typically used for large quantities of standardised post, such as invoices.

Brussels became concerned about the situation in Slovakia, after a law change there came into effect in February and effectively extended the monopoly held by Slovenska Posta to these services.

The Commission claimed that these services had previously been open to competition, and that several private companies had entered the market. Their viability, it said, was now at risk. Subsequent talks with Slovak officials, most recently on Friday, have failed to resolve the problem.

Now the Commission is threatening to deploy rarely-used but powerful procedures against the EU member state. If the decision sought by Mrs Kroes is adopted, it would find that Slovakia has infringed Treaty rules by attempting to re-monopolise the delivery of hybrid mail services.

This decision would be directly binding on the government there, and confirm that the market for hybrid mail is open to competition.

The EU has fought a long battle to persuade and eventually force member states to open their postal services to competition – but already there are some concerns in Brussels that countries are backsliding.

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Postal privatisation a threat to service with no benefit to customers, says report

Posted by | Sep 7, 2008 | |

The government’s strategy of opening up the postal market to private sector competition has provided “no significant benefits” for consumers and smaller businesses, while representing a “substantial threat” to the future of the Royal Mail, an independent report commissioned by ministers warned yesterday.
A major shakeup is needed in the way the industry is regulated if Britain is to benefit from a strong, competitive and cost-effective postal service, said the damning report by former media regulator Richard Hooper for business secretary John Hutton.
Large companies have benefited from the full liberalisation of the postal market since 2006, gaining more choice, lower prices and better quality products, but “there have been no significant benefits for smaller businesses and domestic consumers,” said the report.
Customers were largely happy with the value for money now provided by the state-owned Royal Mail but Hooper – a former deputy chairman of the media and telecoms regulator Ofcom – said the current situation endangered the future of a universal service which guarantees one price and next day delivery throughout the country.
“There is now a substantial threat to Royal Mail’s financial stability and, therefore, the universal service. We have come to the conclusion, based on evidence submitted so far, that the status quo is not tenable. It will not deliver our shared vision for the postal sector,” the report concluded.
The panel carrying out the review said in its initial findings that there was now a “strong case” for taking action to make sure the Royal Mail has a sustainable future.
“As we see rapid changes in the way people communicate, the way in which the postal sector is regulated will also need to change, and we need to establish how best to create the incentives for Royal Mail to modernise its operation, providing a stable financial future.”
The report said the postal market was changing and faced an “uncertain future”, especially as firms looked to cut costs in the face of challenging economic conditions. In the past two years, competition in the collection, sorting and transportation of bulk mail from businesses has expanded rapidly and much more quickly than was anticipated, the report found.
But there was virtually no competition to the Royal Mail in the delivery of letters despite a belief that some rival firms could invest in deliveries, perhaps twice a week, in urban centres.
The Royal Mail was delighted with a report that appeared to vindicate many of the concerns it had raised in the past.
“We welcome this report and Royal Mail absolutely agrees with the report’s conclusion that the one-price-goes-anywhere universal service to the UK’s 28m addresses is at the heart of a successful postal service.
“The report identifies the ways in which the open postal market is clearly not working and Royal Mail looks forward to submitting its further views on the changes that are required in the market,” it said.
TNT, the private sector company field-testing end-to-end mail services in Liverpool and the biggest competitor to Royal Mail elsewhere in the country, welcomed the report’s suggestion that the regulatory framework needed a shakeup.
But Nick Wells, chief executive of TNT UK, questioned the findings that consumers and small businesses were not benefiting. “We are focusing on small and medium-sized companies,” he said. He believed private sector competition had forced Royal Mail to improve its services for all consumers.
The government said that the report clearly indicated Royal Mail must now go through a revolution of its own.
Hutton said: “The initial findings from the review team paint a stark picture of the huge changes in the postal market … despite progress in recent years, I am now clear that to be successful the Royal Mail must undergo radical change.
“I have therefore asked the review team to urgently bring forward ideas, including changes to the system of regulation, to meet our ambiti

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International air express fuel surcharges stable as oil prices sink

Posted by | Sep 5, 2008 | |

DHL, FedEx, UPS and TNT are keeping their fuel surcharges for air express shipments generally stable in September against a background of falling oil prices, CEP-Research analysis shows. In recent months, fuel surcharges had risen rapidly to the constantly increasing fuel prices.

However, fuel costs are now sinking again due to the weakening demand for oil products over the past four weeks, the news agency Reuters reported. The decreasing demand for oil products is reported to be due to rising concerns about the continuously worsening economy.

The four leading express carriers calculate their fuel surcharges based on indexes showing the previous month’s oil price level and announce them in advance for the following month. The surcharges thus reflect the oil prices of two months ago and do not fully reflect the current sharp downward trend in oil prices.

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UPS celebrates new hub opening (U.S)

Posted by | Sep 5, 2008 | |

UPS executives and local dignitaries officially dedicated a large, state-of-the-art package sorting hub to support ground operations in Louisville.

The 258,390-square-foot sorting and distribution facility, known as the Louisville Centennial Hub, employs more than 1,100 people and houses approximately 180 delivery vehicles with room for future expansion.

UPS built the new ground hub after deciding to expand its Worldport global air hub. Ground operations had been located in a facility on Ashbottom Lane adjacent to the airport but that land was needed for the air hub’s expansion. The Centennial Hub was built on a 54-acre site on Air Commerce Dr.

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Norway Post launches new Brand name strategy

Posted by | Sep 5, 2008 | |

The Group will market itself towards the Norwegian and Nordic business markets with the new name, Bring. Private customers, the post office network and daily postal delivery in Norway will keep the Post name and get a new and modernised Post logo. The brand renewal comes after the group has grown significantly in the Nordic region. Through investing in its own activities and through purchases totalling more than 5 billion kroner, Norway Post is in a solid position within the Nordic market. By the end of 2007 Norway post had become the largest post and logistics company in the Nordic region. The entities which were purchased have increased the Group’s turnover by 10 billion kroner in 3 years, and a comparable expansion is planned for the coming years. The aim is to double turnovers by 40 billion kroner outside Norway by 2011, says CEO of Norway Post, Dag Mejdell. 24 percent of Norway Post’s income for the half year 2008 came from activities outside Norway.

Altogether, Norway Post’s transformation will be one of the largest ever to happen in Norway. The total cost of Norway Post’s rebranding in 2008 will be 300 million kroner, of which 150 million is being spent on development and the launch. The rebranding of vehicles and materials will take place over a three year period and we expect that the major part of the remaining rebranding can take place in connection with normal operational changes throughout 2009 and 2010. – The rebranding is a major financial effort and an important investment for the future.

1 USD = 5.70135 NOK

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USPS looks to change Move Update requirements

Posted by | Sep 5, 2008 | |

New proposed changes to the US Postal Service’s Move Update program would require businesses to update their bulk-mailing lists every 95 days, instead of the current 185 days.

The proposed new standard, which pertains to Standard or First-Class Mail pieces, would take effect on November 23. It is intended to reduce costs and waste from undeliverable bulk mail 50 pct by 2010, the USPS said.

According to the USPS, an estimated 9.7 billion pieces of undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail are received every year, costing around USD 2 billion to process.

Companies that fail to comply can be charged 7 cents for each piece of mail in a mailing. Previously, there were no fines for mailings that had a considerable amount of undeliverable mail.

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