French postal service, La Poste, has entered into exclusive negotiations with Air Contractors Group (ACL) for the sale of its airfreight subsidiary Europe Airpost (EAP).
Negotiations with the Dublin-based operator should be concluded by 30 November.
CMB has just become the majority stakeholder in ACL with the joint purchase of Imperial Holdings share’s in ACL, with the Petercam Group.
Read MoreDeutsche Post World Net AG has given up on its plans to introduce industry-wide minimum wages after German coalition parties conservatives CDU/CSU and Social Democrats SPD failed to agree on it, Die Welt reported.
‘We will accept current conditions,’ the report quoted a spokesman as saying.
Deutsche Post initiated the extension of its minimum wage agreement with services union ver.di, which foresees minimum wages of 8-9.80 eur per hour, to the whole industry.
The plan was supported by SPD, but in the end opposed by CDU/CSU, which argued Deutsche Post’s agreement does not cover enough postal workers to be extended to other postal companies. Both parties failed to come to an agreement during a meeting of a mutual committee governing coalition issues Monday night.
Meanwhile, Deutsche Post’s competitors who created their own employers’ association offered unions to negotiate a separate minimum wage agreement, the report said.
Read MoreHighlights
– Group revenues up 9 pct to GBP 167 m (2006: GBP 153m)
– Group revenues excluding Federal Express up 15pct
– UK Mail Revenues up 59 pct to GBP 60m (2006: GBP 37m)
– Profit before tax (before exceptionals) up 50 pct to GBP 4.8m (2006: GBP 3.2m)
– Profit before tax up 182 pct to GBP 4.8m (2006: GBP 1.7m)
– Interim dividend of 6.4p per share (2006: 6.4p)
Guy Buswell, Chief Executive said:
“We have seen a significantly improved Group performance compared to a year ago, with like-for-like revenue growth of 15pct and profit before tax (before exceptionals) up 50pct. This has been driven primarily by further very strong growth in UK Mail, good performances in the business-to-business segment, which makes up 80pct of our parcels business, and in our pallets business. In UK Mail we continue to win significant new business, including Abbey, HBOS, and Virgin Media.
We are making good progress in changing and improving the way in which we both market and operate. Central to this is the greater integration of our businesses – particularly mail, parcels and courier – and the introduction of new products and services. The advancements we are making bode well for the future.”
Read MoreChanges in the An Post delivery system mean homeowners could be losing their familiar postman who arrives at the same time every day.
The post office is overhauling the way in which it delivers the post and has redesigned routes for greater efficiency.
It announced the changes yesterday as An Post got a financial boost with an EU ruling on the EUR 52m social welfare payments contract.
A spokeswoman for An Post said the delivery overhaul may result in people getting a different postman and their deliveries arriving at a different time in the day.
“There has been massive change in terms of population movement and development in these areas,” said the spokeswoman.
Technology
“All mail delivery routes are redesigned using logistical planning technology, which takes into account new residential and business developments, new roadways as well as customers’ mail volumes and the composition of that mail. The new routes also allow for easier division of work at times when staffing is limited.”
General secretary of the Communications Workers Union (CWU), Steve Fitzpatrick, said postmen were working through the problems that were being encountered with the changes.
An Post got its financial boost when the EU said the Government was allowed to award it the contract to pay out social welfare benefits. The contract is worth EUR 52m to the postal service this year.
Read MoreShoppers who browse a catalogue before making purchases online spend on average 25 per cent more than those who do not, new research revealed today.
Royal Mail’s Home Shopping Tracker Study 2007 revealed that on average online shoppers spend GBP 1,221 every year. But this figure jumps to GBP 1,526 for online shoppers who consult catalogues before making an internet purchase.
The study also revealed that catalogues received through the post have a stronger influence than those picked up in store. Four out of ten (39 per cent) of online shoppers browse for at least one purchase from a posted catalogue compared with 24 per cent who said they use catalogues they picked up in a store.
The research, unveiled after IMRG* predicted online sales in the run up to Christmas this year would increase 42 per cent to GBP 13.8 billion, also revealed that:
– In the past year, 47 per cent of online shoppers consulted a paper catalogue prior to an online purchase
– 61 per cent of consumers now shop from home – the highest ever recorded level, representing a 15 per cent growth since 2006
– Over 70 per cent of home shoppers say that they recycle their catalogues
– An average online shopper now purchases over 27 times a year, up 12 per cent from 2006
– 1 in 5 online shoppers are now over the age of 55 – that is double the number of two years ago
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