Tag: Mail Services

Western Union Launches 50,000th Agent Location in India

Posted by | Jan 7, 2008 | |

The Western Union Company announced the opening of its 50,000th Agent location in India at the State Bank of India branch in Gurgaon, Haryana. To mark the occasion, Hikmet Ersek, EVP and MD, Western Union Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Asia (EMEASA), joined Gautam Kanjilal, Chief General Manager (Delhi), State Bank of India, for a special inauguration ceremony.

Western Union, together with its affiliates, Orlandi Valuta and Vigo, is a leading provider of global money-transfer services. Consumer demand for Western Union services has grown due to a rise in long-term global migration trends, which have resulted in increasing cross-border remittances. India is one of the world’s largest receivers of remittances with more than 26.9 USD billion remitted into India in 2006-2007, according to the Reserve Bank of India.

“India offers immense growth potential in the money-transfer business, and with the launch of the 50,000th location we re-emphasize our commitment to our customers in the country,” Hikmet Ersek said. “Money transfer is a very unique way of participating in the growth and development of a nation, especially in India where Indian Diaspora income is regularly channeled back into the country. Together with our Agents we aim to contribute to the development of the country by delivering fast and reliable money-transfer services to our customers. ”

Gautam Kanjilal, Chief General Manager (Delhi), SBI, said, “We highly value our relationship with Western Union and look forward to delivering even better services to our customers by working closely together.”

Speaking at the inauguration event, Anil Kapur, MD-South Asia, Western Union Services India Private Limited, said: “Western Union is expanding its services in India by increasing our reach as well as adding value to our service offerings. In November 2007, we announced a pilot Mobile Money Transfer Project in association with Bharti Airtel.”

Western Union has 50,000 Agent locations in India spanning over 5,000 cities, towns and villages. This includes more than 8,500 post offices and more than 14,000 branches of leading banks.

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Environment minister raises concerns over DM industry (UK)

Posted by | Jan 7, 2008 | |

Environment minister Joan Ruddock has warned the direct marketing industry that it needs to improve its environmental record if it is to avoid legislation such as a mandatory opt-in for direct mail.

Ruddock set out the government’s views of DM’s environmental record in an exclusive interview in the January 2008 issue of Marketing Direct magazine. While she appreciated that “a lot of technical work has gone on” to make DM materials more environmentally friendly, she reminded the industry that opt-in for direct mail is “always on the table” if it doesn’t meet the recycling targets agreed with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs back in 2003.

She said direct marketers needed to ensure they are “on course” to achieve the second recycling target agreed timed for 2009.

The government would not impose opt-in “lightly… but we could not stand by if the industry made no further response”.

Having met with the Direct Marketing Association late last year, she said she was confident that direct marketers would respond. “We have established a relationship [with the DMA], but we want you to do more. We’re not singling out this industry — every industry and business across the land is being asked to do more for climate change.”

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GSI acquires Zendor.com

Posted by | Jan 7, 2008 | |

US e-commerce provider GSI buys UK fulfilment and e-commerce vendor Zendor.com at knock-down price.

US E-commerce provider GSI Commerce has finalised its acquisition of Manchester-based provider of fulfilment, customer care and e-commerce solutions Zendor.com and now glories in the ridiculously long URL www.zendorgsicommerce.com.

With the acquisition, GSI grows its global e-commerce partner base to approximately 85. GSI will acquire Zendor.com for approximately USD 7.9 million in cash, about GBP 4 million in real money and a bargain considering the size of Zendor and the nature of its clients and it’s 2007 turnover of GBP 3.8 million.

Zendor.com was formed in 1999 as a subsidiary of parent company N Brown Group, a business with over 140 years experience in catalogue and shopping. Zendor’s client list before the sale included Woolworths, River Island and Early Learning Centre and the just announced deal with Peacocks.

Zendor operates two fulfilment centres with approximately 245,000 square feet of space and a brand new 50-seat customer care centre that opened in September of 2007 and it claimed at launch time that there was “capacity to reach 150-seats for Christmas peak trading should client growth and new business development meet company expectations.” In addition the company employs approximately 100 employees.

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Postal workers return in Oxfordshire

Posted by | Jan 5, 2008 | |

Postal workers in Oxfordshire returned to work this morning but union leaders are warning it could be Friday before any mail is delivered.

Communication Workers Union representative Bob Cullen said there was a backlog of “millions and millions” of letters and parcels at the Oxford Mail Centre in Cowley.

As a result, staff who would normally be delivering mail have been called in to help with the mass sorting operation.

Mr Cullen said: “The problem is that it is not just mail backed up in the system – the public and businesses have been told to hold back until today and there is going to be a deluge of new mail.”

Meanwhile, postal workers in the Liverpool and Glasgow areas refused to go back to work today and there are fears the wildcat action could spread nationally.

The situation is also likely to remain chaotic next week with strike action staggered across the service on different days.

Talks over pay, jobs and pensions remain deadlocked, although the CWU claims there has been significant movement.

But Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier fuelled the flames by claiming Royal Mail staff was paid 25 per cent more than workers in rival post firms.

He added that other companies in the business were 40 per cent more efficient, which is why the Royal Mail wanted a long-term solution to the current dispute to help it compete more effectively.

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Canada Post: Judge OKs class action suit over postal charges

Posted by | Jan 5, 2008 | |

Canada Post could be required to return tens of millions of dollars in shipping charges to thousands of businesses as a result of a recent Ontario court ruling.

Superior Court Justice Joan Lax certified a class-action proceeding initiated by Ottawa-based Lee Valley Tools Ltd., which has been embroiled in a long-running dispute with the Crown corporation about its charges for shipping parcels to customers.

The ruling noted there are more than 57,000 commercial clients that could have a claim against Canada Post, if its billing practices for parcels are found to violate the federal Weights and Measures Act.

For the past seven years, Canada Post has charged customers to ship parcels based on the greater charge of the actual weight or the “volumetric weight” of an item. This is so that the charges on lightweight yet bulky items cover the cost of transportation.

Since 2003, the Crown corporation has used a device known as a “cubiscan,” which Lee Valley has alleged can overstate the volume of objects, especially irregularly shaped parcels, by as much as 20 per cent.

Commercial clients are required to pre-pay and weigh their products and if Canada Post determines that the total was underestimated, it levies an addition charge. Until January 2007, it did not refund any overpayments to customers.

John Caines, a spokesman for Canada Post, described the class-action certification as a “procedural” ruling. “We deal with all of our customers fairly and in the same way,” Mr. Caines said. “This is the way the industry measures parcels.” He added that Canada Post is the only company now issuing credits for overpayments.

Enforcement of the Weights and Measures Act is the responsibility of Measurement Canada, part of Industry Canada. Alan Johnston, president of Measurement Canada, responded in December 2005 that the relevant section of the Act did not define a “proscribed limit of error” for shipping charges, so it could not be enforced.

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