Tag: Royal Mail

Jersey Post faces formal competition

Posted by | Jun 26, 2008 | |

Jersey Post is facing formal competition for the first time after the postal regulator issued a licence to an express delivery service.

The Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority has granted a licence to Regency Holdings Ltd, which delivers business mail and catalogues from the UK to Jersey.

The company has been delivering to Jersey since last year, and the 10-year licence formalises its operations in the Island.

Chuck Webb, executive director of the JCRA, said: ‘Regency Holdings is a fairly small operation that delivers business mail as well as catalogues and associated letters to Jersey from the UK.

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TNT deal rescues MPS cash shortfall (UK)

Posted by | Jun 26, 2008 | |

TNT Post has eased the pressure on the funding shortfall faced by the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) by agreeing to support the organisation which funds the scheme.

Nick Wells, Chief Executive of TNT Post, confirmed that the private postal operator has written to its customers to ask their permission to add an extra charge to their invoices to contribute towards the fund.

The Advertising Board of Finance (Asbof) collects the levy which pays for self-regulatory schemes, such as the MPS, and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Royal Mail currently collects 0.2 per cent of brand owners’ direct mail spend, which it passes on to Asbof to fund these schemes, but until now new entrants to the postal market have not collected any money, fuelling fears that the schemes could be doomed. This is despite the fact that nearly half of all downstream access mail volumes are now handled by private operators.

Asbof chairman Winston Fletcher says: “We’re absolutely delighted that TNT Post is supporting the self-regulation of direct marketing in this way. Self-regulation cannot work without funding and the fact that the largest independent mail operator, TNT Post, has come aboard is clear evidence of how important self-regulation is to the direct marketing industry.”

Fletcher hopes that many of the other independent postal operators will follow TNT Post’s lead.

The move comes at a time when the Government is piling pressure on the industry to expand the MPS. The DMA has been encouraging the industry to back self-regulation to avoid the implementation of opt-in legislation as threatened by the Government.

Earlier this year, Asbof board member Charles Ping warned the MPS would be “buggered” unless more client companies started paying the levy.

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Postcomm Annual Report 2007/08

Posted by | Jun 25, 2008 | |

Postcomm Annual Report 2007/08Postcomm’s latest annual report sets out details of our strategy:

– Universal service. Ensure the continued provision of an affordable universal postal service.
– Protecting customer interests. Where they have little effective choice, Postcomm will ensure customers benefit from an affordable universal service and adequate protection in terms of prices and service quality.
– Promoting sustainable competition. We aim to provide customers with choice through efficient and sustainable competition between postal operators.
– Advising on the post office network. We aim to ensure that government decisions on the future of the post office network are informed by Postcomm’s research, information and advice.
– Building effective stakeholder relations. Our stakeholders range from major mail customers and operators to Government departments, trade unions, Postwatch, Parliament and the devolved administrations. We aim to maintain and support strong relationships with all stakeholder groups through proactive communication and the sharing of information.
– Using and developing resources effectively. We want to be an effective, efficient organisation, with a highly committed and motivated staff that is continually improving and regarded as “best in class” in comparison with our peer group of other regulators.

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GLS signs up MNG as Turkey partner

Posted by | Jun 25, 2008 | |

GLS has improved its coverage of Turkey, including faster transit times, by signing up MNG Kargo as its new network partner for the fast-growing market.

MNG Kargo has been realising nationwide parcel distribution for all GLS companies since May 2008. Beginning in July, it will feed parcels from Turkey into the pan-European GLS network, the Royal Mail parcels subsidiary said.

The Istanbul-based company, with 2,000 vehicles and over 6,000 employees, is the third largest provider on the Turkish CEP market, according to GLS. MNG Kargo has a nationwide network of 26 hubs and over 600 branches, as well as 1,150 mobile service stations covering remote regions.

In addition, it is the only company in Turkey that has eight of its own freight planes to handle parcel and express distribution. By combining air and road transports, MNG Kargo realises deliveries for standard parcels within 24 hours for distances of up to 1,000 kilometres. Deliveries to more distant national destinations take 48 hours.

Within the framework of the new partnership, regular delivery time for parcels departing from GLS’ European hub in Neuenstein (Germany) to Turkey was reduced by one day. GLS parcels shipped from the GLS European hub are now en route for two to three days. Shipments that arrive at the hub on the evening of the first day from different European countries are shipped via airplane to Istanbul the next morning. Customs clearance usually takes place that same afternoon; delivery commences the following day.

Like all network partners, MNG Kargo is linked to the GLS pan-European IT system. Since the individual code of each parcel is scanned at each interface in Turkey, seamless Tracking & Tracing is guaranteed.

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EU's McCreevy urges rapid implementation of postal directive

Posted by | Jun 24, 2008 | |

European Union internal market commissioner Charle McCreevy has called for the rapid implementation of the European Commission’s postal directive into national legislation.

Speaking at a conference on postal market reform, he said member states’ complacency about the transposition period of the directive will only lead to delay.

The commissioner said the directive’s transposition will be a ‘test’ for member states and the commission as to whether postal reform is taken seriously.

The EU executive’s postal services directive, which liberalises the letter mail market, aims at opening up the European market in 2011. New member states have until 2013 to implement the legislation.

McCreevy said a level playing field was a ‘pre-condition’ for a true internal market of postal services, yet there are different interpretations over its definition.

‘In the worst-case scenario, the transposition period is used to invent creative market entry barriers. Barriers that are then concealed under a blanket which is inappropriately called a level playing field. Paying lip service to free markets and introducing protectionism through the back door is not acceptable,’ he said.

The commissioner stressed the smooth transition to a level playing field will require strong national postal regulatory authorities.

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