Author: Archive

Emirates Post to spend Dh1 billion on expansion drive

Posted by | Apr 4, 2007 | |

Emirates Post, which plans to spend Dh1 billion on an expansion drive within the next 18 months, has set into motion an ambitious programme to acquire 50 aircraft in five years to boost its soon-to-be-launched airfreight activities.

A spokesman of the postal company, quoting Abdullah Ebrahim Al Daboos, director-general, Emirates Post, said yesterday the first two aircraft — Airbus300, each with 44 tonne capacity — will be in operation shortly. As part of the expansion, the company will be adding one aircraft per month. In expanding its freighter division, Emirates Post, which has been pressing ahead with a diversification programme, is believed to follow the DHL, Fedex and UPS models. “The idea is not to rely on private carrier where capacity is usually unavailable because of heavy demand,” he said.

The spokesman, however, did not specify the type of the other aircraft Emirates Post would be adding to its fleet in the coming five years.

Also in the pipeline for UAE’s fast growing national postal company is an IPO proposal, which is awaiting individual sanction from all emirates. “The IPO will be finalised by the end of this month. What is yet to be decided is the IPO’s public-government ratio,” he said.

The spokesman said the air courier service is one of three new companies Emirates Post plans to introduce during 2007, the other two being a trucking company for the GCC and Middle East market and a money management and movement company. The holding group will be known as the Emirates Post Group following sanction of its IPO proposal.

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Business Post sees FY 17 pct revenue growth

Posted by | Apr 4, 2007 | |

Business Post Group PLC said it expects full-year revenue growth of around 17 pct driven by continued strong performance of UK mail, and adds that its results for the year to March 31 will be in line with its previous expectations.

In a trading update, the parcel and mail delivery firm said it expects to report 18 pct revenue growth in the second half and that good progress is being made to develop Business Post into an independent integrated postal group.

The company affirmed that it will incur an exceptional cost of about 1 mln stg in the current financial year related to exit costs from the FedEx Corp contract, which is progressing satisfactorily, but this will be offset by an exceptional gain of 1 mln stg from a recent property disposal.

Preliminary results for the year to March 31 will be announced on May 23.

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Royal Mail's Managing Director quits

Posted by | Apr 4, 2007 | |

The Managing Director of Royal Mail’s letters division has left the group unexpectedly after just 13 months in the job.

Ian Griffiths, who was previously group managing director of GKN Automotive, joined the postal operator in February and was a member of the board.

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Domestic postal rates to change in June

Posted by | Apr 4, 2007 | |

New Zealand Post is increasing the price of the standard domestic letter by 5 cents to 50 cents from 1 June 2007.
The increase is the first since April 2004, when the price moved from 40 cents to 45 cents.

Peter Fenton, New Zealand Post’s Postal Services Chief Executive Officer, said that growth in the number of addresses to which New Zealand Post delivers and significantly increased costs had made it necessary to increase the domestic letter rate.

“Even at 50 cents it costs less to send a standard letter in New Zealand than it does in Australia, Britain, Canada and the majority of the other OECD countries,” Mr Fenton said.

By comparison, Australia’s standard postage rate is the equivalent of 56 cents in New Zealand currency. In New Zealand currency, the UK charges 65 cents; Canada 66 cents; Ireland 89 cents; Germany NZD1.02; and at the high end of the scale, Norway’s standard postage rate is NZD1.49 (all currency conversion rates as at 30 March 2007).

The changes announced today include FastPost, which will increase from 90 cents to NZD1.00. Parcels, bulk mail and international mail prices are not affected.

“Very simply, the costs of mail delivery cannot be sustained at the current price,” Mr Fenton said.

“Due to the growth in the number of addresses around the country, the postal delivery service is stretching further than three years ago. New Zealand Post is delivering to 120,000 more places now than this time in 2004. And we’re delivering to 347,000 more places than 10 years ago.

“A significant part of the cost of running this postal network is fixed and New Zealand Post has also absorbed a number of business cost increases over the last three years.

“Inflation has increased by 8.3 per cent since March 2004 and labour costs have gone up by 10.8 per cent for frontline operational staff.” He said that labour costs make up around 40 per cent of the cost of mail delivery.

Mr Fenton added that there was no need for people to rush out and buy extra stamps now. “A 45 cent stamp will be accepted until 1 June,” he said. “After that, people can add a 5 cent stamp to top up. New Zealand Post has ordered sufficient numbers of 5 cent stamps for people to use from June on.”

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Business Post Group – close period trading update

Posted by | Apr 4, 2007 | |

Business Post Group plc today issues the following close period trading update for the twelve months ended 31 March 2007.

At interim results in November 2006 Business Post Group said that it expected a much improved second half.

The company reported that this has been achieved and expect to report revenue growth of around 18% in the second half year giving revenue growth for the full year of around 17% – primarily driven by the continued strong performance of UK Mail.

The exit from the FedEx Corporation contract is progressing satisfactorily. As announced on 6 February 2007, an exceptional cost of some GBP 1m will be incurred in the current financial year relating to contract exit costs. This will be offset by an exceptional gain of GBP 1m from a recent property disposal.

Good progress is being made in creating the platform from which the group’s strategy – to develop Business Post into the UK’s leading independent integrated postal group – can be achieved.

As a result of the above, the Board anticipates that the results for the year to 31 March 2007 will be in line with its previous expectations.

Preliminary results for the year ended 31 March 2007 will be announced on 23 May 2007.

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Christian Salvesen and Ulustrans announce strategic alliance

Posted by | Apr 3, 2007 | |

Leading Turkish freight forwarder, Ulustrans and European logistics specialist, Christian Salvesen, have announced a strategic alliance which will combine the respective strengths of the two companies to meet customers’ requirements for transportation between Turkey and the rest of Europe.

Christian Salvesen PLC will be able to offer Turkish freight forwarding services to its customers as part of its distribution and logistics services via Ulustrans’ freight capability.

Ulustrans will utilise Christian Salvesen’s extensive networks in Europe to facilitate distribution services for its customers. This alliance enables Christian Salvesen and Ulustrans to meet their customers’ needs by providing an integrated transport capability between Turkey and the rest of Europe.

Christian Salvesen CEO, Stewart Oades, said: “This strategic alliance increases our transport network capability into an important market, enabling Christian Salvesen to provide customers with transport services between Turkey and Europe. Turkey was identified as an important country in our plans and this represents a significant increase in our capability. We look forward to working with Ulustrans, the leading Turkish provider in the market.”

Ulustrans CEO, Olgun Hacialoglu, added: “We are keen to expand our freight offering to and from Turkey. Christian Salvesen is the right partner to enable us to do this and will provide the strong European distribution services which our customers require.”

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DHL Express launches customer loyalty programme in Switzerland

Posted by | Apr 3, 2007 | |

DHL Express has started what it claims to be the first customer loyalty programme in Switzerland offered by a logistics company.

The “DHL Ship & More” programme, launched at the start of April, offers a range of rewards and is available to contract customers, DHL Express Switzerland announced.

Customers can register online for the programme, and collect points for each shipment sent by DHL. One point is earned for every CHF 1 of the net shipment price, excluding customs charges and other fees.

Rewards can be earned starting from 500 points, with a range of products ranging travel vouchers to consumer electronics and other items. Points can also be donated to World Vision charity projects, DHL pointed out.

The rewards go to the company of the customer, and it is up to management to decide what to do with the item in question, DHL added.

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Fears at Royal Mail move to charge more in rural areas

Posted by | Apr 3, 2007 | |

Royal Mail’s plans to charge more for bulk business mail in rural areas were condemned by politicians yesterday.
The Universal Service Obligation requires the Post Office to deliver mail at the same price regardless of where you live in the UK. But now Royal Mail insists that no other country in the EU is opening its postal markets to competition in the same way as Britain. It says that its commercial rivals in the UK would handle around 2.5 billion letters this year, well ahead of expectations and equivalent to 25% of bulk business mail.
Royal Mail is seeking permission for a new zonal system of pricing which would allow it to charge more for bulk business mail in rural areas. Danny Alexander, LibDem MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said: “If permission is given for this proposal to go ahead, then businesses and consumers in the Highlands will pay the price. Local businesses will pay more and it may well be that some firms will try to extra charges will be passed on to Highland consumers too.”
Dave Thompson, SNP candidate for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, said the USO was an important safeguard for rural areas.

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