Tag: Domestic

Deutsche Post faces competition from cooperative banks

Posted by | Apr 28, 2008 | |

German cooperative banking group Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken plan to enter the German mail market in cooperation with logistics company Paketeria, Financial Times Deutschland reported.

It said a Volksbank branch in Celle, near Hannover, will start a pilot project in May with Paketeria. The company will forward mail to parcel company GLS and letter-carriers TNT NV and Pin Group, it said.

TNT is the main rival of German mail incumbent Deutsche Post World Net AG.

‘We would like to fill the gap Deutsche Post has left with its branch closures,’ Alexander Ruckdaeschel, head of Paketeria’s supervisory board was quoted as saying.

The banks operate 14,000 retail outlets, which would compete with Deutsche Post’s 8,850 outlets, the report said.

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CWU – Fight Back Over Royal Mail Pension

Posted by | Apr 27, 2008 | |

Following a meeting with senior field officials, the Communication Workers Union is to begin a campaign on the 5th May to highlight what it sees as government and Royal Mail policy failures and the effect that these policies have had on postal worker pensions.

The pension fund currenly has a deficit of around GBP 3.4bn, and Royal Mail plans to clear the deficit by paying into the fund over a period of up to 17 years as well as paying in an extra GBP 270 million this year, an amount it says, that will increase with inflation each year.

The normal retirement age is to be extended from age 60 to 65 with effect from 1 April 2010, pension calculations have now shifted from a Final Salary to a Career Salary Defined Benefit arrangement as of 1st April 2008, meaning that only pension earned in respect of service from 1 April 2008 would be affected by the change. Pension earned prior to this date will still be linked to final pensionable pay on the date the employee leaves or retires. The existing Pension Plan was closed to new members on 31 March 2008.

Two union ballots, one of Royal Mail managers conducted by the union ‘Unite’ and a subsequent ballot of workers, held by the CWU in March, showed an overwhelming rejection of the changes to pensions.

Although both the CWU and CMA/Unite had agreed that changes were needed, the CWU maintains that Royal Mail brought in the revised pension without final discussion with the union and employees and that Royal Mail had not fully explored a options put forward by the union. It now plans to put pressure on government to reverse changes to pensions by writing to and speaking with MPs and political bodies.

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New Start for Parcelforce (UK)

Posted by | Apr 24, 2008 | |

Parcelforce Worldwide is launching a communications campaign with design work by Start Creative, in an attempt to increase the number of businesses setting up Parcelforce accounts.

The designs will be used across all of its marketing collateral including posters, fliers, mail packs and on-line promotions.

Shirley Clancy brand and campaign manager at Parcelforce says half a million packs designed by the London consultancy are being sent out in a mail campaign which targets the business market and is set to run from April through to June.

She continues that the designs are based around the notion of ‘we give you the world’ and include a branded wall map.

Start was appointed to work on the campaign in March after the consultancy took part in a three-way pitch.

The consultancy has an existing relationship with Royal Mail.

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Axel Springer CEO says PIN mail buy was a mistake

Posted by | Apr 24, 2008 | |

Axel Springer AG said its strategy to enter the German mail and logistics business was a mistake and that it will stick to expanding its digital and international business.

“2007 was a bad year for Axel Springer AG,” Chief Executive Mathias Doepfner told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting on Thursday.

“The investment into the mail and logistics business, acquiring the majority of the PIN Group, was wrong from today’s view.”

He added that the PIN endeavour, as well as a financial crisis in the capital markets in the second half of 2007 and general scepticism among investors towards media companies, had weighed on Axel Springer’s share price.

“At any rate, we cannot be satisfied with a closing share price of 98 euros on December 28, 2007, and the recent development of the Axel Springer share price,” Doepfner said.

The stock fell 28 percent in 2007 and 22 percent since the start of 2008. Shares were down 1.33 percent at 74 euros at 0924 GMT, while the DJ Stoxx European media index was down 0.63 percent.

It reported a loss of 288 million euros (USD 459.2 million) last year due to 572 million euros in writedowns from the now insolvent PIN Group, in which Springer has a 64 percent stake.

Hoping to take advantage of deregulation of the German postal market, the Berlin-based publisher had planned to set up a German mail service and challenge the country’s dominant player, Deutsche Post, but pulled out when the German government forced through a minimum wage for the industry, which was higher than PIN salaries.

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