Tag: Europe

Hermes works on European B2C network

Posted by | Jun 18, 2007 | |

German B2C parcel delivery company Hermes Logistik is working on creating a European network to grow its international business, a senior manager told CEP-Research. It will enter the Austrian market on July 1.

Hermes, with turnover of EUR 1,016 million in 2006, is a subsidiary of Europe’s largest mail-order firm Otto Group, which also owns the parent firms of UK home delivery company Parcelnet and France’s Mondial Relay. Parcelnet recently bought the Redcats courier network while Mondial has announced plans to start operations in Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal.

The company, which claims a German B2C market share of about 37%, is again developing well this year, with Parcel Shop volumes up by 25% year-on-year as of the end of May, Martin Kreiter, vice president marketing, said in an interview at the Transport Logistic fair in Munich. “We are growing well this year, and are winning new third-party customers,” he commented.

On plans for Austria, he added: “We are ready to start. We have the 1,200 Parcel Shops.” Hermes will initially have about 20% of the Austrian B2C market by delivering Otto Group parcels in the country.

Asked about Hermes’ European expansion plans, Kreiter noted that the Otto Group subsidiaries combined are already Europe’s largest home delivery organisation with 22,000 Parcel Shops. The creation of a European B2C network is “one of the challenges for the next few months,” he said. Although it was not yet clear how this would be structured, “we will need one face to the customer in future”, he stressed.

Kreiter confirmed that Hermes Logistik planned to enter the German mail market once the small letters segment was liberalised as of January 2008. “We know we are losing business because customers take letters and parcels to the post office. If we offer both, then we will win more business.”

Hermes would offer letter services through its network of 13,000 Parcel Shops. Consumers would be able to post letters in blue letterboxes outside the parcel shops. Hermes would definitely not have any delivery staff itself but would provide delivery through partners, he said. TNT Post Germany, in which it has a minority holding, was one possible delivery partner.

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Up for auction . . . 75,000 items that were 'lost in the post' by Royal Mail

Posted by | Jun 17, 2007 | |

Royal Mail has admitted selling off thousands of items that got ‘lost in the post’ to help meet its running costs.

The troubled company sells the contents of about 75,000 undelivered packages every year, at the risk of enraging hordes of customers already frustrated that their post has gone astray.

Even customers who paid over the odds for premium ‘secure’ services to cover valuable items have been shocked to find their goods put up for auction, in an operation that could be netting the postal giant millions of pounds a year.

The scandal was exposed by retired teacher John Beattie after he discovered that a set of antique bagpipes, which Royal Mail had lost, were for sale on internet auction site eBay.

He had originally sold the rare 1910 Henderson bagpipes to a fellow collector in Belgium for Pounds 1,500 last July, and despatched them using the Royal Mail’s Airsure premium airmail service, described as ‘fast, secure and reliable’.

Although the package was correctly labelled, it vanished without trace.

However, in March this year a friend spotted the bagpipes online.

It turned out that the package had spent three months languishing in the national undelivered mail centre in
Belfast, before the Royal Mail sent it to Surrey auctioneers Wellers.

In turn, they sold the bagpipes to an online bidder for Pounds 60. The instrument then turned up on eBay, advertised by a man in the Glasgow area.

Wellers has an exclusive contract to sell Royal Mail’s undelivered post, but senior auctioneer Glen Snelgar refused to comment on their arrangement.

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Royal Mail eyes last-gasp talks

Posted by | Jun 17, 2007 | |

Royal Mail has written to conciliation service Acas, offering to meet the Communication Workers Union (CWU) ahead of a proposed strike. The company insisted it was not making any concessions, but was seeking to again explain its position.

Last week Royal Mail insisted that the organisation could not afford to improve its 2.5% pay offer, despite staff voting for strike action.

The CWU is due to set dates for a series of national walkouts.

“Royal Mail is contacting Acas, not to make any concessions in our position, but to try to explain to the union once again the very serious challenges the business now faces in an open, competitive market,” a spokesman said.

The CWU has said the strikes will go ahead unless a breakthrough is reached.

However both sides have said they are keen for fresh talks.

If a nationwide postal strike does go ahead, it would be the first since 1996.

About 77% of Royal Mail’s CWU members who took part in a ballot voted for the strike action, on a turnout of 60%.

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Royal Mail flogs 75,000 'lost in the post' items

Posted by | Jun 17, 2007 | |

Royal Mail has admitted selling off thousands of items that got ‘lost in the post’ to help meet its running costs. The troubled company sells the contents of about 75,000 undelivered packages every year, at the risk of enraging hordes of customers already frustrated that their post has gone astray.

Even customers who paid over the odds for premium ‘secure’ services to cover valuable items have been shocked to find their goods put up for auction, in an operation that could be netting the postal giant millions of pounds a year.
The scandal was exposed by retired teacher John Beattie after he discovered that a set of antique bagpipes, which Royal Mail had lost, were for sale on internet auction site eBay.
Royal Mail spokeswoman admitted: “About 500,000 undeliverable parcels are sent to Royal Mail’s return letter centre every year.
“They are kept for up to six months, after which a proportion – about 15 per cent – is sent to auction, with the proceeds making a contribution to the centre’s annual GBP 10million running costs.”
She said some of the money was given to charity, but would not disclose how much.

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Ciblex France doubles its capacity in the East of France

Posted by | Jun 16, 2007 | |

Ciblex, opened its new office near Strasbourg in Illkirch Graffenstaden in the Bas Rhin on 15 June 2007.

This new venture strengthens the CIBLEX network and corresponds to its strategy of expanding its network with a view to consolidating its unique offer of next day delivery right across France early in the morning – before 8am, before 9am, before 10am and before 12 noon.

Ciblex has been present in the East of France for over 20 years and has built up very strong partner relationships with players such as DUTSCHER, VENTANA, Clinique de l’Instrument and AKE.

This new modernly designed office ensures the collection and delivery of parcels and documents in the 67 (Bas Rhin), 68 (Haut Rhin), 70 (Haute Saône) and 90 (Territoire de Belfort) departments. It carries out transit operations in the main North East European route and particularly to and from Germany. It also accommodates the sales team who are consolidating their position in these sectors in order to strengthen the client relationship based on regional proximity.

This office deals with up to 10,000 parcels per day throughout France and internationally. This doubled capacity will allow Ciblex to take on the steady growth of national and international volume while improving the time taken to process letters and parcels.

The site accommodates 1300 m2 of warehousing and 200 m2 of offices. 15 docks have been equipped to receive the light vehicles and lorries dedicated to transporting the goods. Since the proportion of light vehicles is greater than that of lorries, this gives CIBLEX the flexibility to deliver early in the morning while respecting the new 90 km/h regulation.

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