Fewer post offices, growing prices, and services of higher quality should result from the changes in the monopoly company The Slovak Post (SP) should become a modern institution in the postal service market by 2009. By then, it must overcome the transformation process, the decreasing number of post offices in Slovakia, and the growing prices of its services.
Read MoreRoyal Mail, the troubled monopoly postal operator chaired by Allan Leighton, is in dispute with the Government-funded post watchdog on whether it should pay compensation to customers inconvenienced by recent strike action. The two organisations need to come to a decision, but sources close to the talks said they were still failing to reach agreement as to whether the wildcat strikes that crippled the delivery network constituted “circumstances beyond Royal Mail’s control”.
Read MoreThe Sunday Telegraph reports today that the views of Nigel Stapleton, Postcomm’s Chairman-designate, ‘will set him on a collision course with the European Commission’. This is unlikely! The British Government (including Postcomm) oppose the imposition of full-rate VAT on stamps. However, a draft EC Directive allows there to be a reduced rate which could, in the UK, be a pain-free alternative to the current situation in which Royal Mail’s customers pay hidden VAT of around 3%. This is because Royal Mail pass on to their customers the VAT that the company pays but cannot reclaim. It may be, therefore, that the introduction a low VAT rate might level the competitive playing field without increasing the price of a stamp. This issue will be explored in some detail in a consultative document which Postcomm intends to publish within the next few weeks.
Read MoreUK Royal Mail is poised to declare its first interim profit for five years.
The group is expected to reveal it moved into the black for the first six months of the year, making an operating profit of £50mln and a pretax profit of more than £3mln.
Read MoreOn Thursday the Tours county court annulled the redundancy plan of Tat Express, the parcels subsidiary of French post. The subsidiaty had planned to make 479 jobs redundant and close several branches.
Read MoreThe post office has reopened 11 Washington-area facilities that had been shuttered as a precaution after tests at a naval mail-sorting office indicated the possible presence of anthrax. Follow-up tests have come back negative for anthrax.
Read MoreAstar Air Cargo is seeking sanctions against rivals Federal Express and United Parcel Service for making what it described as “unsupported and deceptive claims” in a recent motion they filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation In a pleading filed with an administrative law judge on Friday, Astar contended that requests by its two U.S. rivals are part of a coordinated FedEx-UPS campaign to protect their current stronghold in the U.S. express delivery marketplace.
Read MoreParceline are to strengthen their nationwide next-day delivery service from a 30,000sq ft short term base in Gloucester and will be supported by a fleet of 22 new vans.
The carrier will use the Gloucester base to collect and deliver parcels to businesses in Cheltenham, Hereford, Ross-on-Wye and Weston-super-Mare.
Read More
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.
