Tag: Europe

Council takes on Post Office over closures

Posted by | Jun 22, 2007 | |

Westminster City Council is to lobby the Post Office at a hearing next month on the closure of post offices in its borough.

The council claims that as high streets are forced to fight for their future because of increased competition from out-of-town developments, Post Offices are vital in attracting shoppers and providing community services.

In July, senior bosses at the Post Office will give evidence to a Westminster City Council Overview & Scrutiny Committee hearing that is examining the impact of proposed franchises and closures in the area. The council will seek to protect Post Offices under Policy SS1 of its Unitary Development Plan, which states: “Though all shops are considered important, local convenience shops are considered particularly important.” The council includes Post Offices in its list of local convenience stores.

Councillor Danny Chalkley, Westminster City Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Transport, said: “At a time when there appears to be a consensus in encouraging small shops and local trade to benefit the environment and help establish a sense of community, we are faced with the heart of many high streets being ripped out through Post Office closures.

A six-week consultation is also due to begin next month on the planned relocation of a Post Office on Poland Street in Soho to the WHSmith store at The Plaza on Oxford Street. This is one of 15 Crown Post Offices across London that are subject to a new franchise agreement with WHSmith.

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Royal Mail to deliver telecoms improvements

Posted by | Jun 21, 2007 | |

Royal Mail is planning to consolidate and transform its telecoms infrastructure to cut costs and improve flexibility.

The organization has started a procurement process for the provision and management of its existing telecommunications services, and will examine how to transform its network, including the production and distribution of digital audio-visual content via media such as IPTV.

Royal Mail says the network services, including voice, data, fixed and mobile, must be able to meet its future requirements.

The 10-year contract will be worth about £65m and will also include provision of its call centre infrastructure.

Datamonitor analyst Alex Kwiatkowski says Royal Mail is looking to adopt IP technology.

A 10-year contract is not common, but suggests the organization is investing significantly to ensure the project is done properly. This is particularly important as Royal Mail is a large business with more than 14,000 post offices, says Kwiatkowski.

The firm has overhauled resource planning and business intelligence systems and introduced RFID and mobile devices in recent years, contributing to the turning of daily losses of £1m into earnings of GBP 2m.

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TNT Post announced strategic partnership with Süddeutscher Verlag and Ippen Publishing Group

Posted by | Jun 21, 2007 | |

TNT Post, the Süddeutscher Verlag and the Munich-based Ippen Publishing Group are entering into a strategic partnership in the German mail delivery market. Furthermore, TNT Post took a 25.1 percent share in ecoflash Briefservice GmbH, a regional mail delivery specialist jointly owned by the Süddeutscher Verlag and the Ippen Publishing Group. The partnership will provide TNT Post access to 1.6 million households and secure the “final mile” delivery in the Greater Munich Area. The new partners are also aiming to cooperate more closely in other areas of Germany where these publishers have interest in local mail delivery companies.

Since the beginning of 2005, the joint venture of Süddeutscher Verlag and the Ippen Publishing Group has provided business clients with regional mail deliveries in the Munich area.

The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval by the German authorities.

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Royal Mail response to planned CWU strike

Posted by | Jun 21, 2007 | |

Royal Mail said today the CWU’s planned strike action next week would only add to the very difficult competitive challenges the company and its people are already facing.

Royal Mail Chief Executive Adam Crozier said: “Royal Mail will do all it can to mitigate the impact of strike action but we are very disappointed for our customers at the disruption they are now facing. We remain very willing to sit down with the CWU to explain again the absolute need for Royal Mail to modernise and to underline how damaging a strike would be for postmen and women, and our customers.”

According to Royal Mail website:
• The mail market in the UK is declining by 2.5% per year
• Royal Mail has already lost 40% of bulk business mail to rival postal operators
• Royal mail’s rivals are 40% more efficient not because their people work harder but because they have already modernised and have much more technology
• Royal mail’s rivals pay their people 25% less than Royal Mail

Mr Crozier added: “We are losing business because we have failed to change and modernise – and as a result our costs and therefore our prices are higher than those that rivals are charging in the intensely competitive business mail, which makes up 90% of all postings.

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