Tag: Europe

Swiss Post: Postal legislation – Improvements needed

Posted by | Oct 22, 2008 | |

The parameters decided by the Federal Council for the new postal legislation must be improved. Swiss Post needs more entrepreneurial scope to provide a high-quality basic service in the future and to succeed against growing competition from international contenders in the free market. In setting political requirements it is thus calling for a more restrictive stance. Swiss Post is unable to understand why the Federal Council has not proposed a constructive solution for the further development of PostFinance. This is a missed opportunity not only for a successful Swiss Post Group but also for Switzerland’s economy as a whole.
Swiss Post wants to provide a high-quality basic service in the free market too, as decided by the Federal Council. However, it will only be able to do this in the long term if the parameters are right. Under free competition, Swiss Post needs more flexible legal operating conditions so that it can act in an entrepreneurial way in the dynamic logistics and financial services markets. An open company purpose is crucial for this.

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Firebox signs deal with Royal Mail Sameday (UK)

Posted by | Oct 22, 2008 | |

Online gadget retailer Firebox.com has signed a deal with Royal Mail’s Sameday service to offer customers within the M25 an extra delivery option in the run up to Christmas. The Sameday service offers those within the M25 delivery between 6pm and 9pm if they place an order before 2pm.
Firebox.com already offers a range of delivery options including Royal Mail’s Local Collect service, which allows customers to ask for an item to be taken directly to a Post Office branch if they know they will not be at home to receive it.

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Japan Post to offer logistics service to Eastern Europe

Posted by | Oct 22, 2008 | |

Japan Post plans to start delivering automotive and electronic parts to Eastern Europe later this year utilising the network of La Poste’s German affiliate DPD, Japanese media reported.

The mail and parcel delivery service unit of Japan Post Holdings, Japan Post Service, plans distribution services to Japanese companies’ plants in Eastern Europe starting with services to Hungary next month. Delivery services to Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia will follow next year, according to Jiji Press. This comes as an increasing number of Japanese companies are setting up production bases in the region.

In July, La Poste and Japan Post signed an agreement for an international logistics partnership effective until 2011. It was reported that the in-depth cooperation focuses on mutual distribution of export shipments in Europe and Japan and that the two national postal operators planned to offer distribution services between Japan and Europe using the networks of their respective logistics units.

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EU OKs aid on Poste Italiane bond distribution

Posted by | Oct 22, 2008 | |

Remuneration paid by Italy to Poste Italiane for postal bond distribution between 2000 and 2006 did not constitute illegal state aid because it was in line with market rates, the European Commission ruled on Wednesday. .
The Commission started looking into Poste Italiane’s activities in postal bond distribution in 2006, following a complaint.
Poste Italiane is remunerated for distributing postal savings books and postal bonds on behalf of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, whose mission is to foster the development of public investment, local utility infrastructure works and major public works of national interest.
Postal bonds are fund-raising instruments with a low risk profile, as reimbursement is state-guaranteed. The services of placement, management and redemption of postal bonds have to be free of charge for the subscribers.
The collection of postal savings through Poste Italiane on behalf of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti has been qualified as a Service of General Economic Interest since October 2004.
This means Poste Italiane is entitled to receive remuneration for the distribution of postal bonds as compensation for the provision of this public service obligation.
Since 2000, this remuneration has been based on successive Italian conventions.

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Finland: Postal services disappearing from remote areas

Posted by | Oct 22, 2008 | |

Postal services of small rural communities are disappearing, as increasing numbers of shopkeepers decide that doubling as a post office is not worth the bother.

Many say that the compensation paid by Itella Corporation (formerly Finland Post), which is responsible for postal services in Finland, is insufficient.

The compensation paid by Itella to private businesses for providing postal services largely depends on how many packages and other deliveries customers pick up from the office.

Itella’s Ritva Vuorenmaa says that cooperation with business owners is functioning well.

“Most of the entrepreneurs are very satisfied with the cooperation”, she says. “They have calculated that they get benefits from increased customer and cash flow, in addition to what we pay them.”

In recent years the outsourcing programme has led to a situation where in June 2008 Itella administered directly only around one in six post offices, with roughly 1,000 of Finland’s 1,200 post office service points in private businesses such as shops or kiosks.

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