Tag: Europe

MRW expands further in Spain

Posted by | Apr 5, 2007 | |

Spanish express carrier MRW has opened two more outlets in Spain, bringing the total number of franchises it holds in Iberia to 770.

The company announced yesterday that it had opened a new branch in Utiel, its 28th in the Valencia area, following the inauguration of new offices in Isla de la Cartuja, its 35th in Sevilla province.

MRW has opened 34 new outlets in Spain since the beginning of last year, while revenues at the group are also expanding. They grew 9% to EUR 564 last year.

The company also has franchises in Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra, served by 39 logistics distribution platforms, 10,500 staff, 5,000 vehicles and three aircraft.

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GO! to invest EUR 7m in new German hub

Posted by | Apr 5, 2007 | |

German express operator GO! will invest EUR 7 million in a new hub in central Germany to cope with its volume growth.

Construction work on the “HUB 2020” at Niederaula in central Germany is scheduled to start in May and completion is due by the end of this year. The sorting terminal will initially cover 3,600 sqm on a site covering 30,000 sqm and is planned to be expanded in stages in the years up to 2020.

GO! said that a new building was necessary to replace the existing facility at nearby Neuenstein which no longer had sufficient capacity to cope with its volumes. At present, about 10,000 shipments are sorted and prepared for onward transport within a time-frame of three hours.

“The sorting capacity will first be designed for 6,000 shipments per hour and can be increased to 13,000 shipments per hour,” explained GO! managing director Ralf-Hans Dierks. The new hub, with its modular expansion options, would have sufficient capacity for the next 10-15 years, he added.

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Parcelnet and Redcats UK courier network deal improves customer service levels

Posted by | Apr 5, 2007 | |

Parcelnet, the UK courier delivery network and provider of home shopping fulfillment services, is acquiring the Redcats UK courier network operation to further develop its existing delivery business. The combined courier network, which will consist of over 7,000 couriers, will significantly enhance the range of services available to Redcats UK – Parcelnet will provide a home delivery service for Redcats UK brands La Redoute, Empire Stores, Vertbaudet and Daxon. It will also enable Parcelnet to provide more delivery options for its customers.

Integrating the two operations will give access to greater courier density, which will enable Parcelnet to introduce more delivery options for customers. It will service the needs of more than 40 home shopping clients, including many of the UK’s leading retailers whose remote retail success is underpinned by Parcelnet’s delivery services.

“The acquisition of Redcats UK’s courier network business by Parcelnet is a positive move for both parties: Parcelnet acquires an established courier network supported by expert staff and Redcats UK benefits from the extended service range and support levels provided by Parcelnet’s courier delivery network,” said David Meredith, Redcats UK’s Logistics Director.

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Austrian Post offers parcel service at petrol stations

Posted by | Apr 5, 2007 | |

Austrian Post has signed a deal with the country’s OMV petrol station chain to offer parcel services at 183 outlets in a move to broaden its services and reach new target groups.

From this month, consumers in Vienna will be able to hand in parcels at VIVA shops within 10 OMV petrol stations. The service will go nationwide to the 183 OMV locations in June.

Parcels will be delivered domestically within 24 hours and a European delivery service will also be offered. Austrian Post hopes to generate annual volumes of several hundred thousand parcels once the service is fully operational.

Walter Hitziger, Austrian Post board member for mail, parcels and logistics, said: “This cooperation will make it easier for Austrians to send their parcels.” Consumers would benefit in particular from the long opening hours and easy accessibility of petrol stations and good parking facilities.

GLS had planned to set up parcel shops at OMV locations but did not proceed beyond a test phase.

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Royal Mail Letters MD resigns over plan

Posted by | Apr 5, 2007 | |

Ian Griffiths, managing director of Royal Mail Letters, has resigned after the board rejected his business plan.

Mr Griffiths, who had been with Royal Mail only a year, is thought to have been resisting deep cost-cutting being demanded by the Government in return for about GBP 3.9bn in state support.

Regarded as number three in the Mail hierarchy, Mr Griffiths joined from GKN Automotive on a salary close to GBP 500,000 after his predecessor resigned just 18 months into the job.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said yesterday that Adam Crozier, the group’s chief executive, would run the letters operation until a replacement was found. “We will begin looking for a new person for the role going forward,” he added.

The departure creates yet more uncertainty at the Royal Mail, which is in the process of restructuring and in pay negotiations with unions.

The search is on for a new deputy chairman, who would probably then succeed Allan Leighton when his contract expires next March.

In February, Royal Mail announced that profits collapsed 86pc in the six months to the end of September from GBP 159m to GBP 22m. The company loses GBP 4m a week on its creaking network of post offices. For every stamped letter, sent mainly by individuals, it loses about 6p.

Royal Mail has argued that the opening up of the UK’s mail market last January has caused competition to flood in more quickly than anticipated, worsening its financial position.

Analysts say the root cause of the Royal Mail’s problems are its inability to control costs and its need to finance its growing pension fund deficit.
Royal Mail has seen several recent departures, including David Flowers, head of property, who left in January.

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