Postal Sector 2007
Postal Sector 2007
Read MoreAuthor: Archive
Deutsche Bank and Lloyds TSB only remaining bidders for Deutsche Postbank
Deutsche Bank AG. and Lloyds TSB Group Plc. are the only remaining suitors interested in taking over Deutsche Postbank AG. as the German retail bank moves on to disclose selected data on its business to the potential buyers on Monday, a person familiar with the procedure said.
The source said that Postbank has adopted a relatively restrictive stance in supplying information in the so-called data room, a metaphoric term for divulging privileged information in an advanced stage of the selling process.
Deutsche Post World Net AG., which owns 50 percent plus one share in Postbank, last Wednesday said it has entered into a “more intensive phase” of negotiations over the future of its banking subsidiary.
A spokesman for the German postal-services giant said at the time that potential buyers would not be given a specific set of data and that “individual talks” would be held instead. Deutsche Post is 31 percent-controlled by the German government through its development bank KfW Bankengruppe.
German securities trading laws would require a buyer of Deutsche Post’s majority stake to also make a mandatory offer for the remaining Postbank shares in the free float.
Recent media reports said that companies interested in Postbank, Germany’s biggest retail lender, also include Banco Santander of Spain, BNP Paribas of France and Belgian lender Fortis.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Boersen-Zeitung last Wednesday cited financial sources as saying that Deutsche Post eliminated Commerzbank AG. and Allianz SE.’s Dresdner Bank unit from the list of potential buyers.
Shares in Postbank were last week buoyed by speculation among traders that Lloyds TSB could be willing to pay as much as 11 billion euros for Postbank.
The lender currently has a market value of about about 9.1 billion euros.
Read MorePost Office launches new 7.05 pct growth bond
The Post Office launched a new one year Growth Bond paying a leading rate of 7.05 pct.
The Growth Bond is ideal for savers looking for a guaranteed rate of return over a fixed period of time, and unlike other similar products on the market is open to anyone with a minimum investment of GBP 500.
The new bond, along with other growth bonds in the Post Office range, is available at all UK Post Office branches, by telephone and online, making them easily accessible to all types of saver.
Post Office director of savings Richard Norman said: “The new one year growth bond offers one of the most competitive rates on the market. It is a fantastic opportunity for savers who do not need immediate access to their savings and who want a secure and convenient way to ensure a guaranteed fixed rate of return.
“In times of economic uncertainty this guarantee is more important than ever. By making it available online, in branch and over the phone, we have made it one of the most widely accessible bonds on the market.”
Post Office also offers three and five year fixed term bonds paying a rate of 6 pct interest.
Read MoreUPS spent nearly USD 1.3M lobbying in first quarter
United Parcel Service Inc. spent nearly USD 1.3 million in the first quarter lobbying on a raft of transportation rules and regulations, according to a disclosure report.
The Atlanta-based company lobbied on legislation involving aviation taxes and safety, cargo security, the rules that govern the Federal Aviation Administration, airport congestion and railway regulations.
UPS also lobbied on a proposal to require the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases, truckers’ hours of service and trade agreements with South Korea, Peru, Colombia and Panama.
UPS and other trucking companies have fought with consumer groups over the hours that truck drivers can work. The truckers won a key victory in December when federal regulators maintained existing limits on drivers’ hours, rather than endorsing a court order sought by consumer advocates that would have required one less hour behind the wheel each day.
In the first three months of this year, the company lobbied the White House, FAA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Trade Representative, Government Accountability Office, and the departments of Commerce, Transportation, Treasury and Homeland Security.
Read MoreDHL offers recipient ID and age checks for German parcels
DHL Parcel Germany has extended its product range with an optional new service for domestic delivery providing identity and age verification for shipments that contain expensive or sensitive goods.
When handing over a parcel to the recipient, the DHL courier can cross-check the identity card of the recipient with the identity provided by the shipper, and record the personal data in the held-hand scanner. If the shipper also requires age verification, the DHL worker checks if the recipient has reached the required minimum age.
“It is becoming increasingly important to shippers and recipients that the goods they ship do not fall into the wrong hands, especially when it comes to products such as mobile phones, computer games, videos or pharmaceuticals,” explained Dr. Andrej Busch, DHL Parcel Germany board member. “With the identity and age verification we ensure from now on that these parcels are only handed over personally to the recipient,” he added.
The new service responds to the growth in online distance trading in recent years. In particular, there has been a strong increase in online orders of products that require a thorough verification of the recipient and his or her age in line with legal regulations.
The DHL identity and age verification service provides the appropriate solution for the relatively anonymous ordering procedure via the internet. For this purpose, the shipper has to transfer the respective data of the recipient electronically to DHL in advance.
Read MoreDeutsche Post World Net issues new Sustainability Report
Deutsche Post has released its new Sustainability Report titled “Changing Ways.” It focuses on current and planned projects in the core areas of the environment, employees and social responsibility.
Operating in nearly all countries around the globe, DHL also assumes responsibility for global challenges like climate change, the increasing scarcity of natural resources such as oil and relief efforts after natural disasters.
The CO2 efficiency of Deutsche Post World Net and its transport contractors is to be improved by 30 percent by 2020.
This means that emissions per mailed letter, per shipped ton and per square meter of used space must be reduced by nearly one-third compared with 2007. The report explains how the group will reach this goal.
Another pillar of the group’s sustainability strategy is to become the employer of choice for its more than 500,000 employees. “Our employees’ satisfaction, health and safety are top priorities,” says Personnel Director Walter Scheurle. A “Corporate Health Policy” has governed group-wide work and health protection around the world since 2007.
To ensure that Deutsche Post World Net employees travel safely, the company has developed a binding “Road Safety Code.” A new international initiative – “Discover Logistics” – promotes the search for management recruits in the logistics area.
Deutsche Post World Net also uses its own network to provide help around the world. The strategic partnership with the United Nations forms the heart of this effort. These humanitarian activities focus on disaster relief and prevention as well as on programs to reduce child mortality. Together with UNICEF, Deutsche Post World Net has helped cut the number of malaria deaths in Kenya.
And “DHL Disaster Response Teams” have been formed to support relief efforts in crisis regions – in cooperation with the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Read Moretrans-o-flex opens new sorting centre with innovative green technology
trans-o-flex has moved into a new sorting centre for parcels and pallets in Dettingen (Baden-Wuerttemberg state) which is remarkable not only for its logistical performance, but also because of the environmental technology it incorporates. The new centre, built at a cost of EUR 8 million, went into operation on June 28.
Within the trans-o-flex network, the new centre takes the place of two previous sites: Kaufbeuren and Neu-Ulm. The sorting area covers 6,000 sq.m. and there are 750 sq.m. of office and ancillary space. The Y-shaped construction plan developed by trans-o-flex means that, while space is used economically, a large number of vehicles can dock onto the ramps. There are 78 ramps in Dettingen. The location has been planned and constructed by local Memmingen construction firm Josef Hebel. trans-o-flex has secured space for possible future expansion on the 30,000 sq.m. site – plans for the second stage of the building, with a further 700 sq.m. of sorting area, are already complete.
Read MoreAustrian Post Acquires Remaining Shareholding in German trans-o-flex
Effective June 30, 2008, Austrian Post will have acquired the remaining shareholding of 23.85pct in Praetorium Holding GmbH and its affiliated companies (“trans-o-flex“) from its current owners, the private equity funds managed by Odewald & Compagnie and Alpha Group. As a consequence, Austrian Post will own a 100pct stake in the German specialty logistics company trans-o-flex.
A 74.9pct shareholding in trans-o-flex was already purchased as per December 21, 2006. Subsequently, a further 1.25pct stake was acquired from the managing partners. The initial transaction in 2006 included a put-option for the minority interests, which were now purchased at the terms and conditions determined during the initial transaction. The total purchase price for the 100pct interest in trans-o-flex amounts to about EUR 79 million.
The market niches arising as a result of the dynamic change in the European postal market enables trans-o-flex and Austrian Post to position themselves as providers of specialised postal services, in particular specialty logistics. Austrian Post generally considers the specialisation of parcel and logistics services to be a promising, high growth segment. Austrian Post’s acquisition of the remaining shareholding in trans-of-flex reflects its ongoing business strategy to establish a bigger foothold in this field.
Read MorePost & Parcel Magazine
Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.