Tag: Royal Mail

Deutsche Post to follow Royal Mail’s lead

Posted by | Apr 10, 2008 | |

Germany’s privatised postal service has announced it plans to sell hundreds of its branch offices to other companies, but has no plans to cut jobs in the process.

A Deutsche Post spokesman said the company was planning to sell the majority of its smaller post offices to local businesses such as supermarkets, bakeries and news- agents. The new owners would then offer the same products and services alongside their own core businesses.

A report in the daily newspaper, Luebecker Nachrichten, said some 700 post offices with about 3000 employees would be affected as part of a cost-cutting drive. Deutsche Post closed about 400 branch offices in recent years and now works with more than 8000 partner-run offices.

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Post Office Ltd to trial further ways to provide sustainable services (UK)

Posted by | Apr 9, 2008 | |

Post Office Ltd has announced that it will trial further ways of providing services in UK communities on a sustainable basis. Post Office Ltd has already gone ahead with more than 100 “outreach” outlets in rural communities, which provide Post Office services for reduced or flexible hours through local partners or through a mobile Post Office – and now has a further 130 in the pipeline. Based on this encouraging early experience, Post Office Ltd has decided to extend the outreach trials into urban communities which, if successful, could mean a significant number of additional outreach branches over and above the 500 originally planned. These additional trials will be undertaken during the remainder of 2008 and evaluated early next year.

The trials are a key part of Post Office Ltd’s on-going strategy to maintain a sustainable network of around 12,000 outlets across the UK following implementation of the Government’s decision to close up to 2,500 existing branches and open 500 outreach outlets. This further outreach model could well form an integral part of the Post Office Ltd’s future strategy for strengthening its commercial and financial performance.

Post Office Ltd also said today it would ensure more involvement for MPs going forward by engaging with them 10 days before the start of the public consultation in their constituencies in relation to the current Network Change programme, rather than a few days before the consultation begins as at present. Post Office Ltd will also automatically offer each MP a further meeting once the consultation is underway to discuss their concerns.

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Royal Mail to trial extra mobile post offices, consult MPs earlier on closures

Posted by | Apr 9, 2008 | |

Royal Mail Group said it will trial ‘outreach’ post offices in urban areas, after successfully introducing more than 100 of the facilities based in vans, shops and community centres in rural communities.

The outreach branches, which will eventually number 500 in the countryside, have been created to retain some services following the planned closure of 2,500 post offices across the country, it said.

The Communications Workers Union, however, said the proposed outreach services were not a genuine alternative to post office branches, and they were only needed because of the closure programme.

Post Office Ltd also said today it would increase the involvement of MPs in the branch closure process by engaging with them 10 days before the start of public consultations.

This move was dismissed by the CWU, which said earlier notification will have no effect on the disappearance of post offices until the consultation process is changed.

‘We again call on the government and Post Office to place a moratorium on further closures and franchises and to sign up to genuine consultation process which lasts 12, not six, weeks,’ Furey said.

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Post Office increases Instant Saver bonus rate

Posted by | Apr 8, 2008 | |

The Post Office today announces it is increasing the bonus rate on its Instant Saver account to 1.5 pct with immediate effect.

For a limited period, new customers applying for an Instant Saver account will receive 6 pct AER on balances of more than GBP 500. The introductory bonus is paid on deposits for 12 months from the date the account was opened, after which interest is earned at the standard rate – currently 4.5 pct.

Richard Norman, director of savings at the Post Office, said: “The savings market has changed dramatically in the last six months and in order for the Post Office to continue offering great value in an increasingly competitive market, we have decided to increase the bonus rate.

“This promotional offer will be reviewed on a monthly basis, to ensure that it continues to meet our customers’ expectations and keep us in line with the rest of the market.”

Post Office Instant Saver is available at all of the UK’s 14,000 Post Office branches, by telephone and online. Withdrawals can be made over the counter at branches and via 60,000 Link ATMs, offering unrivalled choice and convenience.

It also offer two unique guarantees – to pass on all base rate rises in full until January 2010 and to remain within 1.0 pct of the Bank of England base rate for the life of the account. Savers can make six free withdrawals a year with a flat fee of just GBP 1 for any future withdrawals.

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The price of posting standard first and second class letters in the UK has risen

Posted by | Apr 7, 2008 | |

For smaller items, first class stamps are now 38p instead of 36p and second class stamp now 27p instead of 24p. For larger items, first class has risen from 48p to 52p and second class from 40p to 42p.

Royal Mail says that stamped mail continues to run at a loss despite the increases – as much as GBP 178m in 2007. Royal Mail said that it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the subsidy on stamped mail whilst it was under so much pressure from competitors for business mail. Several key contracts have already been lost to rivals TNT Post.

Both Postwatch and Postcomm have said that it was essential that Royal Mail made greater efforts to be more efficient rather than rely on stamp prices to offset losses.

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