Tag: Royal Mail

Postcomm tries simple solution to market domination (UK)

Posted by | Jan 28, 2008 | |

While Postcomm’s measures to simplify its licensing procedures to make it easier for smaller businesses to enter the postal market might be encouraging, is it enough to increase competition in, what many still consider, a monopolised market? Or is Postcomm simply going through the motions?

The independent regulator has amended its licensing procedures to include a reduction in application fees and the removal of the licence requirement on all licensees to have contractual arrangements in place. The move is designed to encourage smaller businesses to enter the market (precisionmarketing.co.uk).

Post-Switch’s senior marketing analyst Jonathan DeCarteret says: “Royal Mail continues to deliver 99 per cent of all mail, so by simplifying licensing and removing the obstacles for smaller operators, it is trying to attract competition and promote self regulation. All of which offers small and medium businesses greater choice and lower rates.”

But OnePost managing director Graham Cooper claims simplifying the licensing procedure alone will not be enough. He states: “This loosening of the requirements for those wishing to obtain a licence is a direct move by Postcomm to assist in further development of the market. Although there have been many enquiries from small businesses about entering the postal market, the numbers of licence holders remain at less than 20.”

He believes the review of the Postal Sector announced by Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (DBERR) at the end of last year is vital to the future of the direct marketing industry and sets out to assess the impact of liberalisation in the UK postal market.

Whether the move will attract new players into the market, remains to be seen, but anything that injects money into direct marketing can only be positive.

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Swiss Post International strengthens its presence in Sweden

Posted by | Jan 24, 2008 | |

Swiss Post is continuing to pursue its international niche strategy. Its international unit, Swiss Post International (SPI), has acquired the Swedish letters processing company IMS Europe AB. It is thus expanding its presence in Scandinavia and will become a key provider in the Swedish postal market. IMS Europe AB, which has a staff of five, generated sales of around CHF 3.6 million in 2007.

The takeover of IMS Europe AB by Swiss Post International (SPI) took place with effect from 1 January 2008. IMS Europe AB is an independent letters processor based in Limhamm, near Malmö in southern Sweden. The company operates with the product groups marketing mail, business mail, business to consumer as well as press and packaging, and generated sales of around CHF 3.6 million in 2007 with five employees. With the takeover, SPI has gained a second foothold in Sweden in addition to its branch in Stockholm. SPI is thus strengthening its position in southern Scandinavia and is advancing to become a key provider in the Swedish postal market. It was agreed that the purchase price will not be disclosed.

With the acquisition, Swiss Post is continuing its strategy of generating growth in international niche markets, in line with the strategic objectives set by the Federal Council. In the meantime, Swiss Post already generates 20 percent of its sales abroad and in its cross-border business. Swiss Post International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Swiss Post and currently employs 1,200 people in eleven European countries, four countries in Asia and the USA. For 2007 SPI is predicting sales of over 1.1 billion Swiss francs. SPI is now number five on the cross-border letters market after Deutsche Post, United States Postal Service, Great Britain’s Royal Mail and France’s La Poste.
1 US Dollar = 1.09657 Swiss Franc

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Royal Mail recruits ‘experts’ to boost postal campaigns (UK)

Posted by | Jan 24, 2008 | |

Royal Mail has ramped up its commitment to improving the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns by recruiting a panel of expert data partners.

The postal operator is setting up the supplier panel as part of its investment in data services. It will enable it to offer customers data solutions across a range of specialisms to ensure new and existing customers are effectively reached via the post.

Once the panel is complete, it will provide expert solutions covering acquisition, retention strategy, data processing, database work and online services for SMEs. Royal Mail has put in place a client services division and a team of data consultants to support the panel.

Dataforce is the first company to join the panel, following the issue of a tender to find five specialist data supply companies. The company is a UK leader in implementing, executing and managing multi-channel, integrated communication campaigns.

Royal Mail Head of Data Strategy Colin Bradshaw says: “The panel builds our credibility as a supplier of key services to the data industry. Going through the tender process means we are able to choose what we believe to be the best companies to meet the needs of our customers.

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Now victims of crime have details lost in post in latest Government data bungle

Posted by | Jan 23, 2008 | |

Sensitive details about victims of crime may have fallen into the wrong hands in yet another lost data bungle by Government officials.
Four computer discs containing confidential details of magistrates court cases are missing after being posted through the Royal Mail.
The missing material includes details of at least 55 defendants and other “restricted” data not released in open court, potentially including the names and addresses of alleged victims and witnesses.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed last night that an urgent inquiry is under way following the latest in a string of blunders, which have seen the personal details of millions lost by the Government.
Last night critics called for a ban on personal data being posted, and called for a new criminal offence of “recklessly mishandling” such material.
In November officials at HM Revenue and Customs lost the entire child benefit database, and earlier this week the Ministry of Defence admitted that a laptop stolen from a Naval officer contained details of 600,000 military staff and potential recruits – leading to a ban on civil servants taking laptops out of offices.
The latest department to come under fire is Jack Straw’s Ministry of Justice.
The courtroom data discs were posted by recorded delivery on December 15 but never arrived, according to insiders.
To compound the humiliation, the discs were being sent as part of an urgent investigation Mr Straw had ordered into a separate fiasco.
The inquiry is into claims that hundreds of magistrates court cases have been quietly dropped when defendants failed to turn up, meaning that many suspects, including sex offenders, may have escaped justice.
As part of efforts to investigate the scandal, court officials put data on the four computer discs which are now missing.
Ministry of Justice officials refused to comment on exactly what “restricted” data had been lost.

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TNT posties set to explode monopoly (UK)

Posted by | Jan 20, 2008 | |

TNT postmen will soon take on the Royal Mail on the streets of Scotland, the boss of the private postal operator has hinted.

Nick Wells, Chief Executive of TNT Post, told Scotland on Sunday that the company was gearing up to launch trials of its first “end-to-end” service, where items are picked up, sorted and delivered by TNT staff without any involvement from the Royal Mail.

He gave his clearest indication yet that some of the locations, which the company has so far refused to confirm, are likely to be in Scotland.

Although a number of private operators have entered the UK postal market since it was opened up to full competition in February 2006, Royal Mail continues to dominate what is referred to in the trade as the “final mile” – the actual delivery of letters and parcels to individual addresses by postmen.

Since its launch in Britain in 2003, Dutch company TNT Post has seized a 9% share of the market, yet it still has to rely on Royal Mail for the final leg of deliveries, effectively handing business back to its competitor.

Wells said: “Last year we handled over 1.8 billion items, but we give all of that back to Royal Mail. Royal Mail still do the end-to-end. We’re Royal Mail’s biggest client.”

It is understood that TNT Post is planning to launch its own end-to-end service early this year in order to reduce the amount of business it hands back to its rival.

Although Wells refused to disclose locations and timings of the end-to-end pilots for competitive reasons, he said TNT Post has been building up a sizeable business in Coatbridge, Glasgow, over the past 18 months.

However, Wells said the company had no plans to support the struggling Post Office network in Scotland, which will see up to 30 branches closed or downgraded this year.

Postcomm, the postal services regulator, recently urged private companies such as TNT Post, DHL and UPS to strike deals with the Post Office network over undelivered mail.

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