Tag: Royal Mail

Bristol And Somerset Post Office® Branches – Decisions Announced

Posted by | May 29, 2008 | |

Post Office Ltd today announced decisions on the future of Post Office® branches across Bristol and Somerset following a six week public consultation which ended on 9 April. Post Office® services will be provided through a network of branches, which supports the national accessibility criteria introduced by the Government and ensures that over 99% of Bristol and Somerset’s population will either see no change to their existing branch or will remain within one mile (by road distance) of an alternative branch.

The plan confirmed today means that 62 branches will close in Bristol and Somerset with the first closures scheduled to take place in late June 2008. These branches were detailed in the Area Plan proposal published on 26 February 2008.

Post Office branches at Bear Flat, Lower Weston and West End originally proposed for closure will remain open, following a review of the issues raised during consultation. Details of any branches proposed for closure in place of those that are to remain open will be announced shortly. The new proposal would be subject to a period of public consultation.

The replacement of seven branches by outreach solutions was also confirmed today.

During the six week local public consultation, Post Office Ltd received around 3800 responses and attended 18 meetings with customers and their representatives to understand their concerns. All information provided by customers formed part of the final decision regarding each affected branch.

Read More

Postcomm chief slams union greed (UK)

Posted by | May 29, 2008 | |

Postcomm Chairman Nigel Stapleton has hit back at union claims that the regulator is incompetent, arguing that the Communications Workers Union is “undeservedly” reaping all the cost savings Royal Mail has made.

Stapleton counters: “The CWU has been extremely competent in making sure that all the savings Royal Mail has made – through single daily delivery – has gone to its members and not Royal Mail’s customers.

“Second delivery was 4 per cent of Royal Mail’s volume and 20 per cent of its costs. Everyone thought that the savings would be passed on to the customer but in fact they went on higher wages, a five day week instead of six and higher pensions – the customer hasn’t got anything.”

The move follows CWU general secretary Billy Hayes’ public broadside last week that Postcomm was ‘draconian’ and ‘incompetent’ and was to blame for Royal Mail’s demise.

He also claimed Postcomm was stifling Royal Mail and creating a financial crisis for the UK’s biggest mail carrier.

But Stapleton argues that both the CWU and Royal Mail have their heads stuck in the sand, claiming that neither has reacted swiftly enough to the rise of digital marketing.

Stapleton also blames Royal Mail’s lack of new product development.
even test marketed anything since last August.

Read More

Royal Mail set to back axed Postwatch business group (UK)

Posted by | May 29, 2008 | |

Royal Mail is understood to providing financial backing so that the Postwatch group which handles business customer complaints will not be axed when the watchdog folds later this year.

The move follows concerns that business customers would be left high and dry in the new beefed up National Consumer Council, headed by Lord Whitty.

The new-look NCC, which will see Postwatch, energywatch, and CCWater subsumed into the consumer super-body, is due to launch on October 1. It was first mooted nearly two years ago.

At the time, the DTI tried to assure the House of Commons that the merger was not a cost-cutting exercise.

But there has been no provision for the big mailing companies which used to sit on Postwatch’s Trade Association Forum (TAF), chaired by direct marketing industry stalwart Judith Donovan, who is also chair of Postwatch North.

Ironically, the TAF has been credited with winning many battles against Royal Mail.
During the consultation on pricing in proportion, Donovan claimed Postcomm had created “a dog’s dinner” by revealing it supported the scheme even before the consultation period was complete. The group eventually won a number of concessions.

Postwatch also took Royal Mail to court – and won – over GBP 40m worth of unpaid compensation owed to big brand owners. Royal Mail won an appeal but it only covered payments to customers who were in arrears.

Read More

Logica to deliver BI at Royal Mail (UK)

Posted by | May 28, 2008 | |

Logica has announced that it has won a 5-year contract with Post Office Limited, part of the Royal Mail Group, to install and support two centralised business intelligence systems. The systems are expected to go live in 2009.

The Post Office has a project underway to modernise its systems and services in an effort to be more responsive to market conditions and changing business needs, and it hopes that this deal will help support this project.

Logica will oversee the implementation of two new management products, Master Data Management (MDM) and Dynamic Intelligence Warehouse (DIW). These will replace two current life-expired systems.

According to Logica, MDM will contain all Post Office reference data, including office addresses and details of products sold by the Post Office, such as stamps and travel insurance.

The company says that DIW is a responsive data warehouse, which will store updated information about the numbers and types of products sold daily at post office branches and other outlets.

Read More

24th UPU Congress: July 2008

Posted by | May 28, 2008 | |

International decision-makers will participate in a high-level debate on 25 July 2008 focusing on the theme “The postal sector, an essential component of the global economy”.
The conference will set the tone for 24th Universal Postal Congress, which opens in Geneva, Switzerland, on 23 July and lasts until 12 August 2008.
Three panel discussions on how postal services can work effectively in an era of globalization, the challenges and the new frontiers for the postal sector in an ever-changing world, and partnerships for the global supply chain will be held throughout the day.

“The general debate will be one of the highlights of Congress and particularly important, strategically, for the entire postal community. Indeed, it represents an opportunity for UPU members as well as postal stakeholders the world over to exchange insights on the future of the postal sector. The debate aims to confirm the sector’s appropriate positioning in view of the world’s economic reality, the new issues affecting the sector, and the UPU’s next four-year strategy,” says UPU Director General Edouard Dayan.

Journalist Muriel Siki, from the Télévision Suisse Romande, and Professor Matthias Finger, from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, will lead the round table discussions.
With two months to go before the 24th UPU Congress opens at the Geneva International Conference Centre, preparations for the event are going well. Some 1,500 delegates from the UPU’s 191 member countries are expected to attend the Congress, held only every four years. The international postal meeting will also draw hundreds of observers and participants from international organizations and stakeholders from the postal sector at large.

Read More

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

P&P Poll

Loading

What's the future of the postal USO?

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