Tag: Europe

PROFILE – RICHARD ROCHE, Head of RM multi-channel retail strategy

Posted by | Dec 16, 2004 | |

As the man responsible for Royal Mail’s multi-channel retail strategy, Richard Roche is keen to help etailers deliver on the promise of Internet shopping, he tells Clare Goff

There are no postmen at Royal Mail’s media centre in Covent Garden. Indeed, the office looks more like a creative hotshop, with its glass walls and open-plan layout. “We deliberately wanted to give the appearance of an agency,” says Richard Roche, head of multi-channel retail.

While others deliver the letters, Roche – with 20 years of financial services marketing behind him – concentrates on the delivery process itself. His expertise is in helping businesses use the medium of mail as a marketing or logistics tool.

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UK shoppers rush to buy goods online

Posted by | Dec 15, 2004 | |

Shoppers browsed retail internet sites in record numbers in the first week of December, adding to the expectations that this year will bring a massive e-Christmas. Figures to be released today from Hitwise, the internet site monitoring group, show that visits to online retailers reached an all-time high in the week to December 4, with retailers clocking up 13.1 per cent of all visits from surfers. Activity dipped slightly to 12.9 per cent in the week to December 11. Hitwise said site visits were up 24 per cent in the first week of December against last year. The growth in activity dovetails with research released last week by the IMRG, the electronic retail industry body, that anticipates a 64 per cent leap in online spending to Dollars 4bn (Pounds 2.07bn) this year. “The amazing thing to me is that there has not been real investment in this area for four years after the boom and bust days,” said James Roper, chief executive of the IMRG. “All the growth in the past four years has come from consumer demand.”

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UK direct mail lags behind other media growing 2.1%

Posted by | Dec 15, 2004 | |

Growth in spending in direct mail lagged behind the marketing industry average over the past quarter, up by 2.1% in current prices, compared with 4.6% across the board. According to the Advertising Association, direct mail, which only includes mailouts and not doordrops nor other forms of direct marketing, rose to GBP569m. But compared with other media, it was lagging in terms of growth.
Last month, the AA reported that spending on direct mail in the UK could rise by as much as 54% over the next 10 years. Between now and 2014, the medium of direct mail is set to rise between 46% and 54%. This put it well ahead of the marketing industry as a whole.

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UK Royal Mail asks for a ban on firearms-by-post

Posted by | Dec 14, 2004 | |

Royal Mail yesterday asked Postcomm to prohibit the carriage of firearms in its mail service. If agreed, the ban would apply to the delivery of sporting, deactivated and replica firearms, munitions and ordnance by Royal Mail’s letter post, special and recorded delivery and standard parcels services. Parcelforce would continue to carry firearms, as would other parcel companies. Postcomm began consulting on the request today. While it is lawful to send these items by the post at present, Royal Mail claims that despite their legal status, the sending of them by the standard post causes disruption to their services. Banning firearms would reduce this. At present, every time a firearm is found, Royal Mail’s operations are halted as police have to be alerted. Prohibiting firearms should mean less disruption. Any firearms found would be handed over to the police who would return lawful firearms to their owners.

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Plans by An Post to cut staff rejected by union

Posted by | Dec 14, 2004 | |

Plans by An Post to cut staff numbers and overtime costs drastically in its collection and delivery service have been overwhelmingly rejected by staff. Of 4,315 members balloted by the Communications Workers’ Union, only 195 supported management’s reform proposals. They will now be referred to the Labour Court for adjudication next year, further delaying full implementation of a company recovery plan. The ballot result, announced yesterday by the CWU, does not carry any threat of industrial action. CWU members had balloted separately in favour of a strike. However, following a 24-hour stoppage last week, the union said there will be no further disruption before Christmas. The latest ballot concerned the outcome of seven months of negotiations between the company and the union at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC).

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