Year: 2005

Taiwan post office to launch foreign currency exchange

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

Chunghwa Post Co, Taiwan’s sole postal service provider, will launch foreign currency exchange on Dec. 7 in the latest event that marks a convergence of postal and financial services at Taiwan’s post offices. Starting Dec. 7, 108 branches under Chunghwa Post Co. throughout the island will offer exchange of four foreign currencies – the US dollar, the yen, the euro and the Hong Kong dollar. At the same time, the post offices will sell mutual funds on behalf of local asset management firms. The expansion of post offices into the banking arena has become an irreversible trend. Even Hsu Jen-shou, chairman of Chunghwa Post Co. , said right now 92 percent of the company’s annual sales of NTD300 billion comes from consumer banking, making it no different from a typical financial holding company.

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Pin-striped postmen banking competition from France’s La Poste must be fair

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

French banks long feared competition would come from abroad. So they busily constructed (often with state help) defensive mergers among themselves to forestall foreign takeovers. But now, they suddenly find themselves bitten in the ankle from behind by the state itself. For the government has pushed its postal service, La Poste, into setting up a banking subsidiary as a full competitor in the lucrative mortgage market. The country’s four main commercial banks have now cried foul to Brussels about this new Banque Postale using its special advantages to distort competition. All European postal systems are diversifying away from their traditional mail delivery business, which is in decline because of the rise of e-mail and is increasingly open to cross-border competition under European Union rules. Governments are also using electronic bank transfers rather than post offices to deliver welfare benefits. So most post offices are trying to capitalise on their large networks to sell financial services products, to the general displeasure of commercial banks.

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UK DMA splits Robottom role to address growth of other media

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

The DMA (UK) is carving up the role of director of industry development and postal affairs – left vacant by the departure of David Robottom (PM October 21) – to reflect the growing importance of other media channels.

Robottom’s main role is to be split in two, with the appointment of a director of media channel development, and a head of postal affairs, who will report to them. Neither post has been filled. His compliance remit will be folded into that of director of compliance Tessa Kelly, while his environmental role will be handed to another, yet to be decided, director.

DMA chairman Charles Ping says: “The decision to split the role reflects changes in the industry. Post, although still a key area, is now just one of the many direct disciplines. These days we’ve got the likes of email, Internet, digital and search-engine marketing, and we’re looking for someone with experience of all media.”

Robottom left at the end of last month, after ten years. He has set up a consultancy with his wife, D&S Consultants, which will offer a range of advice on postal affairs, environmental issues, data and direct marketing. He has already secured a contract with Royal Mail rival TNT UK Mail and data specialist DQM Group (PM November 18).

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Bank rivals in France appeal post office plan

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

A group of leading French banks said Thursday that they had appealed a decision by the French regulator approving plans of the state-owned mail service La Poste to open its own bank in January. The move, which is sure to intensify competition in the country’s banking industry, comes as other countries like Japan are seeking to break up the financial power of their post offices. In France, La Poste secured the approval on Wednesday of the Cecei, the country’s banking regulator, to set up its own retail banking operation. La Poste, the second-biggest European mail operator after Deutsche Post, already gets 23 percent of its revenue from financial services, including checking accounts and long-term savings.

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TNT and Norbert Dentressangle conclude deal for the majority of TNT Logistics France’s logistics and part of its transport business

Posted by | Dec 1, 2005 | |

TNT and Norbert Dentressangle announced today that they have signed an agreement for the sale of the majority of the contract logistics activities and part of the transportation activities of its French subsidiary TNT Logistics Holdings SAS. This sale is effective from today.

This sale includes in particular the businesses of Aixor, Cemga, Copal, Nord Mendy, the Clermont-Ferrand site of Nicolas and the shares of Les Routiers Francais and Barco. TNT branding will be removed progressively from the facilities, before October 31st 2006.

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By Jan 1, 2007 Bulgaria will introduce EU’s sectoral law in postal services

Posted by | Dec 1, 2005 | |

The government of Bulgaria issued the following news release: The government passed the amendments to the Postal Services Law, regulating the introduction of the EU’s sectoral law in postal services by 1 January 2007. Under the amendments, the process of gradual and controlled price liberalization will go on. According to plan, the state will have monopoly on the sector of universal postal services in compliance with the clauses laid down in Directive 97/67/EC and Directive 2002/39/EC of the European Communities. The functions of entities involved in the management and regulation of postal services will be better defined, and their prerogatives will be enhanced and expanded. The independent regulatory body will have more functions in the case of breach of the law and of respective regulations. The articles in the law defining the issue of licenses to postal operators will be improved.

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Doubt cast over UK Royal Mail reliability

Posted by | Dec 1, 2005 | |

Post for millions of people is going missing or arriving damaged, according to a new survey that casts doubt over Royal Mail’s reliability. One quarter of householders surveyed by Which? magazine said at least one postal item sent to them was damaged and another item was lost in the past 12 months, while a further 34 per cent had experienced either lost or damaged mail. The figures, from a survey of 1,000 people carried out in September, flatly contradict Royal Mail’s claim to be delivering 99.9 per cent of items properly. In the run-up to Christmas, Britons are expected to spend far more ordering goods from the internet for delivery. The Royal Mail expects 70 million items to be delivered from the Web this Christmas, compared with 55 million last year. Postwatch, the postal watchdog, said the number of cases where customers had problems with the premium ‘special delivery’ service was ‘quite worrying’.

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