Tag: Royal Mail

Royal Mail launches carbon neutral mailing programme

Posted by | Jul 16, 2007 | |

Royal Mail today launched a scheme to incentivise businesses to make their Door to Door mailings carbon neutral and encourage consumers to recycle the items they receive.

Royal Mail’s Carbon Neutral Door to Door scheme makes it easier for companies to reduce the carbon footprint of their mailing by giving them advice on the types of paper, inks and varnishes to use as well ensuring effective targeting of the campaign.

After carbon impact has been minimized in line with scheme standards, Royal Mail calculates the remaining CO2 emissions generated by the mail campaign and pays to offset through schemes such as the Woodland Trust’s Carbon Plus+, which plants native trees in the UK.

Mailings made under the scheme will carry a Royal Mail carbon neutral logo to demonstrate to customers that the sending business is taking its commitment to the environment seriously. They will also be asked to include WRAP’s (Waste and Resources Action Programme) Recycle Now logo to encourage the recipient to dispose of the mail piece in the most environmentally friendly way.

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ACAS is called in to report on UK postal strike

Posted by | Jul 16, 2007 | |

Ministers have asked ACAS, the conciliation service, to report to them on the Royal Mail strike amid signs that the dispute could last for months.

Rita Donaghy, the chair of Acas, has been asked to give an interpretation of the dispute so far and the reasons for the entrenched positions.

Leaders of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are scheduled to see John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, after informal talks last week. Acas has been present at recent meetings between Royal Mail and the union, although it has not been operating as facilitator because neither side has agreed to conciliation.

Royal Mail has suffered two national walkouts in the clash over pay and modernization, and more strike dates are likely to be set. The CWU could escalate the action beyond the one-day walkouts that it has called so far, or it may stage a series of regional strikes. The postal group has offered a 2.5 per cent pay increase but this was rejected by 77 per cent of members of the CWU who voted in a strike ballot.

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Potter advance orders top 2 million

Posted by | Jul 16, 2007 | |

More than two million people have pre-ordered copies of the seventh and last Harry Potter book to ensure they are among the first to discover the boy wizard’s fate. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released next week, marking the final chapter in an extraordinary publishing phenomenon.

Such is the anticipation around the final book that worldwide pre-order sales have topped two million, according to Amazon.

The online retailer’s “muggle counter” stood at 2,000,516 books ordered and counting – well above the previous record of 1.5 million for the sixth installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

With legions of excited readers expected to be waiting by the front door for their copy, Royal Mail has revealed its plans for coping with the demand.

The company expects to deliver 600,000 editions of the blockbuster on its release date – on average, one copy for every 43 homes across the UK.

Royal Mail’s marketing director, Alex Batchelor, said: “We have been working closely with retailers for more than six months to plan our Harry Potter delivery operation with military precision.

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GLS announces positive result

Posted by | Jul 16, 2007 | |

General Logistics Systems B.V. (GLS) reported its 2006/07 results showing higher parcel volumes, sales and profits continuing the positive trend of the past years.

Revenues rose by 4.3* per cent to 1.6 billion euros, EBITA by 15.4 per cent to 179.4 million euros. Shipped parcels increased in 2006/07 by 7.7 per cent to 311 million. International shipments grew by 20 per cent – an especially strong growth rate that reflects GLS’ continued investment in, and development of, its European network.

Capital investment totaled 75 million euros in 2006/07. The larger investments included new hubs and depots in Germany, France, Denmark and Hungary. In addition, GLS made a number of acquisitions to increase its presence across Europe. In December 2006, the acquisition of ABX Belgium Distribution was completed strengthening the company’s presence in the important Benelux market. In Italy, GLS acquired three more franchise areas; thereby increasing the total number of GLS managed depots in Italy to 21.

In addition to investing in the physical network, investments and the continuing development of information technology remains an area of specific focus. GLS has replaced 12.000 scanners in the last financial year, is currently implementing new scanner technologies group-wide and is preparing an online link for its entire fleet of delivery vehicles, a measure that will accelerate shipment tracking to real-time.

In 2007/8, the group plans to increase its activities in Italy and Spain and to enter the Romanian market. The GLS group is targeting revenues of two billion euros and pre-tax profits of 200 million euros by 2009.

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Update on CWU strike action at Royal Mail

Posted by | Jul 13, 2007 | |

Royal Mail said the Communication Workers Union strike had slipped and remained extremely patchy with the percentage of people coming to work ranging from 5 pct to more than 60pct around the country. Royal Mail added that the network of 14,220 Post Offices was operating as normal.

The company said that, as ever, it is willing to meet the union at any time. Royal Mail met Dave Ward and Billy Hayes on Wednesday evening to explain again the company’s urgent need to change, as all its major rivals in the UK postal services market have already done, if it is to thrive in an increasingly tough marketplace. Chairman Allan Leighton and Chief Executive Adam Crozier set out the very serious competitive threat facing the company and its people but the union nevertheless decided to go ahead with a second damaging 24-hour strike which started at 7pm last Thursday.

Royal Mail has offered a package of pay which gives a basic pay rise of 2.5% for change as well as a GBP 800 dividend if we hit our targets – plus the opportunity to earn a 50:50 share of any savings over and above budget.

Mr Leighton called on the CWU to accept the absolute need to modernise and take off their block on local change in 250 operational units where changes have been agreed with our people and the union locally but blocked by the CWU at a national level.

Royal Mail remains very willing to meet the union at any time to explain the company’s position.

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