Year: 2005

La Poste faces rough ride as it looks to compete in new EU

Posted by | Apr 22, 2005 | |

The run-up to the French referendum on Europe’s new constitution promises to be a busy time for La Poste.

Not only is France’s state-owned post office preparing to deliver 43m copies of the constitution to voters before they go to the polls on May 29, but at the same time parliament will be voting on a law designed to allow La Poste to compete in Europe’s liberalised postal markets.

Some executives fear the May 12 vote, which is likely to trigger a fresh political debate on the future of the post office, could be hijacked by those advocating a No vote in the referendum.

So while the new business is welcome in the short term, the intense focus the referendum may bring on La Poste’s future could be more of a burden.

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FedEx announces plans to add up to 75 ”clean air” hybrid trucks to fleet

Posted by | Apr 22, 2005 | |

FedEx Express has announced plans to add up to 75 hybrid, diesel electric trucks to its service fleet in the next 12 months, contingent upon pricing and availability. The announcement coincided with the unveiling of two FedEx hybrid trucks in the nation’s capital on Thursday, which brought the company-wide total of hybrid trucks in use to 18.

“Placing hybrid trucks in Washington D.C., and the planned increase for next year reflects the growing viability of hybrid trucks,” said John Formisano, vice president of Global Vehicles, FedEx Express. “It also shows the commitment of FedEx to pursue the use of promising technologies that both reduce fuel costs and provide more environmentally responsive vehicles for the communities in which we live and work.”

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UK Rural post offices told to pay for GBP600,000 fraud

Posted by | Apr 22, 2005 | |

Hunderds of rural sub-post offices have been told they must repay money obtained by fraudsters who cashed forged family tax credit and child benefit cheques.

Postmasters and postmistresses are facing demands of more than pounds 1,000 — money they say they cannot afford to repay, given their small profit margins.

Post Office Ltd has written to them ordering them to repay the money they handed over when the gang targeted small post offices last year.

On the Isle of Wight, where about 30 sub-post offices were hit, some postmasters and postmistresses have refused to pay.

Rodney Archer, of the National Federation of Postmasters, said: “The Post Office network will suffer further closures if costs like these are simply passed down the chain for sub-post masters to meet.

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Royal Mail rejigs council service

Posted by | Apr 22, 2005 | |

The Royal Mail has unveiled a package of proposals to enable councils to communicate better with their residents. The postal giant came under fire from council communicators at last year’s LGCommunications conference, who said its Door to Door delivery system which enables companies to bundle in direct mailshots with their correspondence was difficult to use. LGComms chairman Martin Watkins said: ‘We were dissatisfied with its product. If you wanted it to deliver (council magazines and other communications) you had to book two years ahead. This is not realistic because publications can be time sensitive, if they are about something such as council tax.’ In addition, postcode sectors did not correspond with council boundaries, making it impossible to send out a mailing to just council residents, added Watkins. But Royal Mail now offers a ‘boundary match’ so councils that need to contact everyone within their confines will be able to do so, and has shaken up the booking service. Watkins said: ‘This is going to make a big difference because lots of councils use the Royal Mail and it is an important part of service delivery.’

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GLS to set up Hungarian PaketShop

Posted by | Apr 22, 2005 | |

Parcel delivery company GLS Hungary Kft is setting up a PaketShop network in Hungary, general manager Gabor Szemkeo said. The first ten shops to accept packages were opened in the biggest cities at the beginning of April. If the three-month test period ends with success the company may extend the network countrywide. GLS pays percentage to the local contractors after each parcel and picks up the packets daily. The company started operation in Hungary in 1998. Last year it delivered about 3 million packages with more than 200 vehicles. In the business year ending March 31, it reached turnover of almost Ft 3 billion, which is 50percent increase.

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France’s La Poste FY net profit surges

Posted by | Apr 21, 2005 | |

France’s La Poste said full-year net profit surged 85 pct to 374 mln eur from 202 mln a year earlier.

Operating profit in the full year came in at 523 mln eur, up 69 pct from 310 mln last time, on sales up 3.7 pct at 18.677 bln compared with 18.004 bln in 2003, the French postal service said.

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UPS 1st quarter shows strong 16percent income gain

Posted by | Apr 21, 2005 | |

Paced by its growing international package operation, UPS today reported a strong 16.2% gain in net income for the first quarter of 2005. Consolidated revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2005, rose 10.8% to USD9.89 billion, reflecting in part the addition of revenue from the recently acquired Menlo Worldwide Forwarding. International package revenue climbed 13% while US package revenue rose 2.8%. Operating profit rose 13.8% to USD1.39 billion compared to USD1.22 billion for the prior-year period. International operating profit jumped 25.6% to USD348 million, while US domestic operating profit increased almost 13% to USD1.03 billion.

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DHL takes next step in plan to rival UK Royal Mail

Posted by | Apr 21, 2005 | |

DHL Global Mail opened its first distribution centre outside London yesterday as part of its plans to be a national network rivalling Royal Mail for business post. The German postal operator, which is one of eight companies licensed to handle UK mail, already has a contract to use Royal Mail’s extensive delivery network for “the final mile”. Similar arrangements have been made with other licensed carriers ahead of the introduction of full competition next January.
However, DHL hopes that by building its own network for business-to-business deliveries it can guarantee a faster, more reliable service than the national carrier. The new service, called Smartmail Citispeed, aims to deliver 99 per cent of mail on time, including the option of overnight delivery.

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