Tag: Courier/Express/Parcels

Financial investor bids over EUR 500m for Seur controlling stake

Posted by | Aug 1, 2008 | |

British private equity company Doughty Hanson has bid more than EUR 500 million to buy a 52 pct majority stake in Spanish express parcels operator Seur in an offer valuing the company at about EUR 1 billion. DHL and UPS were apparently also interested in the company.
According to Spanish business newspaper Expansión, the UK financial investor has made the offer to a group of Seur franchisees who have decided to sell off their shareholdings in the group. The offer, valuing the whole company at EUR 1 billion, is thus worth about EUR 520 million.
Expansión, citing market sources, described the bid as “friendly” and said that Doughty Hanson was ready to work with other Seur shareholders, including La Poste subsidiary GeoPost, which owns a 19.6 pct share in the group.
The other Seur shareholders now have 45 days to decide whether to exercise their right to block the bid with a counter-offer of at least the same size, the newspaper wrote. Sources close to La Poste said that no decision has yet been taken about this, it added.
Seur, with revenues of EUR 665 million last year, has a complex, decentralised ownership structure comprising regional franchisees who also own small stakes in the parent company Seur SA. Seur has 85 franchisees in total controlled by 54 companies. The franchisees seeking to sell their holdings represent 52 pct of Seur capital, 65 pct of the franchises by number, and generate 5 pct of gross profits, according to the newspaper.

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Schuetze new sales MD for TNT Express Germany

Posted by | Jul 31, 2008 | |

TNT Express Germany has appointed experienced Marketing and Sales Manager Dr Roland Schuetze as its Managing Director Sales, Marketing and Customer Service, with effect from 1 August. He comes from the Weidmueller group, one of the world’s leading providers of connecting elements for data, signals and energy, where he was responsible for global sales. Prior to this, Schuetze was senior vice-president sales and a member of the board of Lufthansa Cargo. In that position he was responsible for global key account management, global customer service and margin management.

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UPS nears agreement with drivers and package handlers (U.S)

Posted by | Jul 31, 2008 | |

United Parcel Service reached a tentative agreement with Chicago-based Teamsters Local 705 on a new contract covering roughly 11,000 drivers, package handlers and other part-time and full-time workers just hours ahead of a strike deadline, the parties said Thursday (31st July).

Workers’ hourly pay currently ranges between roughly USD 8.50 and USD 28. That would raise USD 4 over the life of the five-year contract, Local 705 Secretary-Treasurer Steve Pocztowski said. The deal also includes improved pension benefits, an extra week of vacation plus an extra day off, he said.

The proposal will be voted on by workers within the next five weeks, Pocztowski said.

UPS reached a tentative agreement with Teamsters Local 710 on a new five-year contract covering about 6,500 workers in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa on Tuesday (5th August).

That five-year agreement includes a more than 4 percent increase in wages and benefits and places limits on forced overtime, Chicago-based Teamsters 710 Secretary-Treasurer Pat Flynn said earlier this week. It also “dramatically increases part-time workers’ health and welfare coverage,” he said.

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Night Star Express signs up Benelux franchisee

Posted by | Jul 31, 2008 | |

Night Star Express has signed a preliminary contract with WanSis transport systems B.V for the franchise area Benelux with effect from 1 January 2009 to expand its presence in Europe.

Founded at the beginning of 2008 in Geldrop, WanSis transport system will take charge of Night Star Express activities as the new franchisee with identical corporate image and high quality standards.

“With this nationwide connection across Germany to the Benelux countries and next-day delivery by 8:00 we are uniquely qualified on the market, as none of our competitors can offer customers throughout Germany such a wide night express service,” said Matthias Hohmann, managing director of Night Star Express.

“We are convinced that WanSis transport systems B.V will make Night Star Express an established company in the Benelux countries,” he added

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Deutsche Post unfazed by US presidential candidate concern over DHL cuts

Posted by | Jul 31, 2008 | |

Deutsche Post World Net (DPWN) shook off criticism by US presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain of the planned closure of DHL’s air hub at Wilmington, Ohio, and stressed it is on track with the US restructuring measures.

On Tuesday (29th July), Obama and McCain both took up the issue of the planned Wilmington closure, with the expected loss of some 8,000 jobs at DHL and sub-contractors ABX Air and Astar Air Cargo. They each called for an investigation into potential anti-trust issues resulting from the planned DHL-UPS airlift deal, and spoke out in favour of government support for workers who lost their jobs.

Speaking at company press conference on its half-year financial results, DPWN CEO Frank Appel said he was “sorry” about the job losses at Wilmington but stressed the cuts were necessary in view of the likely USD 1.3 billion loss at DHL Express USA this year and to strengthen DPWN as a whole. “If we did not do this, then we would endanger even more jobs,” he declared.

In response to questions, Appel said DPWN had held talks with various US officials for some time and commented that the statements of the two presidential candidates were “moderate” and showed they understood DHL’s problems.

Due to DHL’s heavy US losses, the situation was not comparable with that of Nokia, which was forced to pay back subsidies in Germany after announcing the closure of a production site, he said. DHL Express had received “low” subsidies at Wilmington but did not expect to have to pay them back.

Appel also stressed that the measures to restructure DHL Express USA were on track despite deteriorating market conditions and the weakening US economic environment. The first DHL-contracted aircraft had been taken out of service, the first DHL ground stations closed and other cost reduction measures had been implemented, he said.

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