Tag: Europe

Boom in Czechs purchasing American internet goods

Posted by | Jul 31, 2008 | |

The number of parcels arriving in the Czech Republic from the United States has shot up dramatically, with Czechs taking advantage of internet shopping and the strength of the crown.

Czech postal service is being inundated with parcels arriving from the United States. The postal service has handled over 120,000 packages arriving from the states in the first six months of this year alone – that is up from 70,000 during the same period last year. Ivo Mravinac is a spokesperson for Czech Post, he thinks the glut of incoming packages is down purely to economics:

“The dollar has taken a big hit against the crown and Czechs have done two things. One, they have become increasingly interested in internet shopping and two, they have realized that they can make big savings buying foreign goods, especially from the United States. And this has had a knock-on effect on the number of parcels we are receiving from America. In May 2007, we received 4,900 parcels from America, in May 2008, that number was up to 7,500.”

Couriers such as DHL and UPS back up Mr Mravinac’s statistics. DHL says it has experienced a 99 percent rise in the number of American parcels it handles.

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Royal Mail promotes media portfolio through new campaign

Posted by | Jul 31, 2008 | |

Royal Mail is highlighting its expertise and comprehensive suite of products which can assist and add value to marketing propositions through a new direct mail campaign.

The activity is designed to heighten awareness of Royal Mail’s wide range of DM campaign solutions including off-the-shelf creative products and industry-leading audience targeting solutions to an audience of 14,000 marketing campaign implementers and media agency staff.

The mail pack, which will also have a dual function as a ‘leave behind’ for Royal Mail’s sales team, is designed as a ‘DM seedbox’. The variety of products and services are covered in a set of ‘seed booklets’ to ‘help you grow your own direct mail’, aligned around the central proposition that Royal Mail’s media portfolio provides the media and advertising industry with ‘a DM resource like no other’.

Over the past twelve months alone, Royal Mail has constantly worked to innovate the direct mail medium and make it work more effectively for brands. New service introductions have included Personalised Integrated Media, developed with Sony DADC, which fuses digital with direct to create a truly individualised branded CD mailing, and Sensory Mail, created in conjunction with BRANDSense, to create standout mailing campaigns which engage all five of the senses, with further innovations coming soon.

The direct mail activity, which has been created by Meteorite, is being supported by adverts in marketing publications.

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Brown to head Postcomm (UK)

Posted by | Jul 30, 2008 | |

Postcomm has appointed Tim Brown as Chief Executive, replacing Sarah Chambers.
Brown will replace Chambers when she leaves in September after her four-year secondment from Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) to Postcomm comes to an end. Brown will also become a Postcomm commissioner.
Brown joined Postcomm at the beginning of 2008 as director of market development, having worked previously at DHL Express UK and Royal Mail.
Postcomm chairman Nigel Stapleton says: Tim’s extensive experience of the sector, gained at Royal Mail and in the wider competitive market, will be invaluable as we work towards establishing a new regulatory framework that will secure the universal service and provide more choice for all mail users and providers.
Chambers joined the postal regulator in 2004 from the Department of Trade & Industry, where she headed the automotive unit. She replaced Martin Stanley.

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Royal Mail’s performance is slipping (UK)

Posted by | Jul 30, 2008 | |

Postwatch commissioned Ipsos MORI to establish whether customers perceived Royal Mail service had improved, stood still or declined over the past two years.
The results showed that 43 per cent thought it was worse, 42 per cent believed it was the same and only 14 per cent that it was better.
Millie Banerjee, Chair of Postwatch, commenting on the results said: “It is not surprising that the vast majority of customers believe Royal Mail’s performance was either getting worse or was standing still during a two year period which included major disruption caused by industrial action.
“Many deliveries are made later in the day than they used to be. Some customers will consider this to be a worse service even if on average during the two years more 1st class mail was delivered next day than previously. It is important that customer perception is dealt with alongside the hard figures of Royal Mail’s performance.
“Adam Crozier has acknowledged that Royal Mail needs to become more customer-focused. It certainly needs to engage with customers to show it really does care about every item of mail arriving safely and on time. It needs to start to talk up mail as a product. These findings should give Royal Mail food for thought. Royal Mail must both be and be seen to be confident, customer-focused and efficient. Gloomy statements about the poor state of the postal industry damage customer confidence and perceptions and do nothing to improve Royal Mail’s position.”
Ipsos MORI conducted the survey by telephone using random digit dialling from the 2 to 6 July 2008. A representative sample of 2036 adults, across all age and socio-economic groups in England, Scotland and Wales were asked for their opinions.

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Spanish unions seek a study into universal service

Posted by | Jul 30, 2008 | |

The Spanish Postal Advisory Council, the highest advisory body of government in postal matters, discussed on the 29th of July the proposal submitted by UGT and supported by CC.OO (both unions are affiliates of UNI Post & Logistics Global Union) for an Observatory on the provision of universal service. The Council has agreed to the creation of a working group for analysis and study of the provision of universal postal service in rural areas and in special environments. The unions welcomed the decision which responds to a need that has long been targeted in connection with the mismatch and neglect suffered by these areas in recent times.

The unions also said they believed that the Government, in the form of the Ministry of Public Works, wants to impose unilaterally reform of the postal sector without discussion with the unions. UGT believes that with the creation of the proposed Observatory, the Government rightly responds to a very real social unrest. The unions said there is a need improve management, as at this moment the post office needs to meet the European quality standards for the provision of universal postal service.

On another issue, the President of the Council (Assistant Secretary of Public Works) reported that the Government does not have in its agenda, any project under way to change the current Postal Law. The Government has a period of 2 years to transpose into Spanish law the recently adopted European Postal Directive. In this connection the unions demanded that when this takes place that the government immediately open negotiations with all unions.

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