Tag: Germany

Deutsche Post sale of Postbank would require changing German constitution

Posted by | Apr 9, 2008 | |

Deutsche Post World Net AG.’s possible sale of Deutsche Postbank AG. may face legal hurdles as it would require amending the constitution, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported, citing a letter sent to German finance minister Peer Steinbrueck by trade union DPV.

According to a law in the German Basic Constitutional Law related to the privatisation of German mail services in the 1990s, civil servants working in companies succeeding former state-owned Deutsche Bundespost must remain employed there.

Some 35 percent of Postbank’s current staff are civil servants entitled to wages according to government pay scales and a pension.

‘It will (be) irreconcilable with Constitutional Law if Postbank is sold and becomes part of another bank’, unless the buyer sets up structures similar to government agencies to accommodate civil servants, the union said in the letter.

DPV demanded that plans to sell Postbank be dropped to preserve jobs and Postbank’s branches.

Germany’s Basic Constitutional Law has been changed 52 times since it came into effect in 1949, including the amendment that in 1994 set the legal basis for the privatisation of the Bundespost, which was split into what are today Deutsche Telekom AG.

Deutsche Post is currently examining all future options for Postbank, in which it holds 50 percent plus one share.

Several banks and financial services providers, including Deutsche Bank AG., Commerzbank AG. and insurance giant Allianz SE. have recently signaled an interest in acquiring Postbank.

Read More

Top job changes at DHL UK and France

Posted by | Apr 9, 2008 | |

DHL Express has announced important job changes in two of its key European markets, UK and France, after the finalisation of recent restructuring measures.

Chris Muntwyler (55) has left his position as managing director of DHL Express UK and Ireland, the German transport newspaper DVZ reported. Muntwyler took over the post in 2005 with the job of restructuring the company. This restructuring had been completed and the new growth period would be led by a new chief, Deutsche Post confirmed. Muntwyler, who has been with DHL Express since 1999, will take on new responsibilities.

Meanwhile, in France, DHL has appointed Florence Noblot as the new head of DHL International Express, one of the three new operating companies of DHL Express in the country. Noblot, who has been with DHL since 1993, is now heading the air express business unit with a workforce of 1,500 employees located at 35 sites. Her primary responsibility will be setting up DHL’s new air network in France that is linked to the opening of the new European hub at Leipzig. She was previously Vice President of DHL Global Customer Solutions for the Asia-Pacific region since May 2006, managing DHL’s 100 major international customers.

The operator has reorganised French operations into three operating companies, DHL Express Services, DHL International Express and DHL Freight, DHL Express Europe CEO Scott Price told CEP-Research in an interview in February.

Read More

Successful start to DPD's Parcel-Shop offensive (GER)

Posted by | Apr 8, 2008 | |

DPD is continuing the successful Parcel-Shop offensive which it began last year. There are now no less than 3,000 Parcel-Shops in Germany, with a further 1,500 expected to follow by the end of the year. Small companies and private shippers, in particular, benefit from the products and service options available from the DPD Parcel-Shops.

“At the start of last year there were 472 DPD Parcel-Shops in Germany. By the end of the year this number had risen to almost 2,500,” states Arnold Schroven, Chief Executive Officer of DPD GmbH & Co. KG. The CEO is pleased because this represents a five-fold increase in shop numbers within a single year. “This success confirms our policy of continuing our offensive strategy on this segment of the market this year, too. We intend to provide our customers with a country-wide network of 4,500 Parcel-Shops by the end of 2008.”

DPD Parcel-Shops operate on the shop-in-shop principle and are located across various branches of the retail sector, including for example stationery shops, tanning studios and consumer electronics shops. The focus is always on the interests of the customer, which means the retail outlets are those frequented regularly by consumers and where handing in or collecting a parcel can be conveniently combined with other activities. Prestigious retailing multiples such as Metro and the Staples office-supply chain are partners to DPD Parcel-Shops.

Read More

Deutsche Post CEO says no rush to sell bank -paper

Posted by | Apr 7, 2008 | |

Deutsche Post could take its time on any decision to sell its Deutsche Postbank unit, new Post Chief Executive Frank Appel said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

“It’s true, we need clarity. But clarity can also mean not selling for the foreseeable future,” Appel said in comments to be published in the paper’s Tuesday edition.

Deutsche Post last month promised to decide soon about the future of Germany’s biggest retail bank, which is an attractive takeover target for other banks, but Appel said on Monday he was in no hurry.

“I’m not under pressure to act. Postbank’s business is going well and there is no reason to rush and certainly not to sell it below its value,” he said, adding that he was still discussing options.

Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have signalled they would be interested in buying Postbank, which has about 15 million customers.

Appel also said he was confident of delivering a solution to restructure Deutsche Post’s loss-making DHL Express business in the United States in May as pledged. Turning the unit around and Postbank’s future are seen as Appel’s biggest challenges as CEO.

“We are well on time,” he said.

Appel added that Post did not have to have a partner for the U.S. domestic business, but he said: “Should there be a partner, however, who could improve the solution further, then we could also take them on board at a later date.”

Read More

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

P&P Poll

Loading

Have you noticed a decrease of non-EU inbound parcel volumes since the implementation of the new €3 charge?

Thank you for voting
You have already voted on this poll!
Please select an option!


View ResultsHide Results

Post & Parcel Magazine


Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.

Subscribe to the Magazine

 

Pin It on Pinterest