Tag: Europe

GLS announces positive result

Posted by | Jul 16, 2007 | |

General Logistics Systems B.V. (GLS) reported its 2006/07 results showing higher parcel volumes, sales and profits continuing the positive trend of the past years.

Revenues rose by 4.3* per cent to 1.6 billion euros, EBITA by 15.4 per cent to 179.4 million euros. Shipped parcels increased in 2006/07 by 7.7 per cent to 311 million. International shipments grew by 20 per cent – an especially strong growth rate that reflects GLS’ continued investment in, and development of, its European network.

Capital investment totaled 75 million euros in 2006/07. The larger investments included new hubs and depots in Germany, France, Denmark and Hungary. In addition, GLS made a number of acquisitions to increase its presence across Europe. In December 2006, the acquisition of ABX Belgium Distribution was completed strengthening the company’s presence in the important Benelux market. In Italy, GLS acquired three more franchise areas; thereby increasing the total number of GLS managed depots in Italy to 21.

In addition to investing in the physical network, investments and the continuing development of information technology remains an area of specific focus. GLS has replaced 12.000 scanners in the last financial year, is currently implementing new scanner technologies group-wide and is preparing an online link for its entire fleet of delivery vehicles, a measure that will accelerate shipment tracking to real-time.

In 2007/8, the group plans to increase its activities in Italy and Spain and to enter the Romanian market. The GLS group is targeting revenues of two billion euros and pre-tax profits of 200 million euros by 2009.

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German chancellor Merkel rejects minimum wage for postal employees this year

Posted by | Jul 15, 2007 | |

German chancellor Angela Merkel told newspaper Handelsblatt she has rejected a move by her Social Democratic (SPD) coalition partners to create a minimum wage for employees in the postal sector this year.

However, she said companies in the sector could request to have their industry included in the minimum wage codex by March next year.

‘Inclusion in the wage codex assumes that various competitors can agree amongst themselves,’ she added

But the newspaper added that an intra-industry agreement was unlikely, because several competitors pay considerably lower wages than the former state monopoly, Deustche Post AG.

The SPD wants to create a minimum wage for the industry’s workers, whose wages it maintains are under threat from foreign competitors active in Germany.

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Forecast GBP 28 bn online Sales by 2011

Posted by | Jul 14, 2007 | |

According to a recent study by retail analysts Verdict Research, online sales in the UK will almost triple over the next 5 years and they predict that online spending will reach GBP 28.1 bn in the UK by 2011 – equivalent to 8.9 pct of all UK retail spending.

The report reveals the fastest rate of growth in the online sector since the bursting of the dotcom bubble in 2001. In 2006, online retail spending in the UK grew by 33.4 pct , to a record GBP 10.9 bn, almost 13 times faster than the retail sector overall. (Verdict Research figures in this report exclude spending on services such as flights, tickets and insurance).

Despite the scale of this online opportunity, the report urges retailers to take care not to jeopardise the trust of their customers. Whilst we mentioned earlier that we’re pretty relaxed about spending GBP 2.3k online, not all online shoppers are like us and many shoppers still need great assurance that their financial details are safe online.

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The first PostShop opened in Macedonia

Posted by | Jul 14, 2007 | |

Bearing in mind the primary values of the Company – customers always have priority, Makedonska posta opened the first Post Shop in order to satisfy the customer needs and offer high quality services in the market. The PostShop will be supplied with the full range of postal products, philatelic materials, newspapers, magazines, commemorative post cards and other items. The first PostShop is located in the premises of the Ohrid Regional Centre, st.“Makedonski prosvetiteli” bb.

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Update on CWU strike action at Royal Mail

Posted by | Jul 13, 2007 | |

Royal Mail said the Communication Workers Union strike had slipped and remained extremely patchy with the percentage of people coming to work ranging from 5 pct to more than 60pct around the country. Royal Mail added that the network of 14,220 Post Offices was operating as normal.

The company said that, as ever, it is willing to meet the union at any time. Royal Mail met Dave Ward and Billy Hayes on Wednesday evening to explain again the company’s urgent need to change, as all its major rivals in the UK postal services market have already done, if it is to thrive in an increasingly tough marketplace. Chairman Allan Leighton and Chief Executive Adam Crozier set out the very serious competitive threat facing the company and its people but the union nevertheless decided to go ahead with a second damaging 24-hour strike which started at 7pm last Thursday.

Royal Mail has offered a package of pay which gives a basic pay rise of 2.5% for change as well as a GBP 800 dividend if we hit our targets – plus the opportunity to earn a 50:50 share of any savings over and above budget.

Mr Leighton called on the CWU to accept the absolute need to modernise and take off their block on local change in 250 operational units where changes have been agreed with our people and the union locally but blocked by the CWU at a national level.

Royal Mail remains very willing to meet the union at any time to explain the company’s position.

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