Tag: Royal Mail

MPs join fight to save post office in Blackpool

Posted by | May 8, 2007 | |

The fight to save Blackpool’s historic Crown post office has been stepped up with the town’s MPs fearing that vulnerable residents will be hit by the closure.

Plans were announced by Royal Mail last month to close the Abingdon Street office and transfer services to WH Smith in Bank Hey Street, as part of a nationwide cost-cutting initiative which will see 76 Crown Post Offices closed.
Both MPs for the town, Gordon Marsden and Joan Humble have signed a Commons motion, which has so far been supported by 30 MPs, calling for more consultation and expressing anger at the decision.

Mr Marsden has also written to the managing director of the Post Office, Alan Cook, seeking assurances about services and postal workers’ jobs.

In the letter, he states: “The Post Office provides a service to the most vulnerable people in Blackpool, the disabled, those claiming benefits, as well as the elderly and unemployed.

“What plans do you have to relocate the service counters with WH Smith, which has a far smaller surface area in my estimation and how will you ensure that elderly and disabled customers are able to use the new facilities easily?”
Mrs Humble said that there should be more much more debate before the decision is finalised.

She said: “I will be seeking information from the Royal Mail, the DTi and ministerial colleagues on the reasons behind it and the treatment of the staff who work there.

The Post Office has said the decision to outsource the service was made to cut financial losses which were GBP 70m last year.

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2008 Royal Mail UK programme unveiled

Posted by | May 7, 2007 | |

Royal Mail have revealed their provisional stamp issue programme for 2008 with a number of interesting subjects set to be featured.

The programme is shown below and is subject to change:

January: James Bond – Centenary of Birth of Ian Fleming
February: Working Dogs – Centenary of first police dogs in UK – Europa issue
February: The Houses of Lancaster and York – Commencing a new series: ‘Kings & Queens’
March: S.O.S Rescue at Sea – Centenary of the adoption of SOS as the signal for distress at sea
March: Celebrating Northern Ireland – Continuing the series The Four Countries of the UK
April: Insects – ‘Action for Species’
May: Cathedrals – 300th anniversary of completion of St Paul’s Cathedral
June: Classic Film – Film anniversaries
July: Airshows – Centenary of first powered flight in UK
August: Olympics – 2008 Beijing Olympics
September: RAF Uniforms – Continuing the series Uniforms of the Military
September: Country Definitives – 50th anniversary
October: Women of Achievement – 150th anniversary of birth of Emmeline Pankhurst
November: Christmas
November: Lest We Forget – 90th anniversary of end of the First World War

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Lovells helps complete UK Royal Mail WH Smith deal

Posted by | May 6, 2007 | |

A team from Lovells has worked alongside Royal Mail’s in-house legal team to complete a major transaction for Royal Mail transferring the operation of 76 Post Office branches to WHSmith. This follows the successful trial of six Post Offices in WHSmith stores last year.

Following the deal the Post Office will continue to run 373 Crown Post Offices in UK towns and cities alongside the branches operated by WHSmith.

The Lovells team working on the transaction was led by partner Nicholas Cheffings with associates Sahira Khwaja and India Forsyth. The Royal Mail in-house team was led by General Counsel Doug Evans with assistants Jessica Madron and Patricia Jones.

Speaking afterwards, Doug Evans commented:

“This is a very important development for the Royal Mail Group, serving to underpin the Post Office’s long-term commitment to safeguard its presence on the high street and in shopping centres across the United Kingdom.

“We have worked very closely with Lovells on this transaction and are extremely pleased with the advice they have given us. The deal enables us to work with a complementary, respected retailer giving us, and our customers, a high quality, commercially viable plan for the future.”

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Royal Mail are on course for a crippling national strike over pay

Posted by | May 5, 2007 | |

Royal Mail are on course for a crippling national strike over pay.

Union leaders are expected to reject a new offer from management next week and press ahead with plans for a ballot.

Last week, a union memo said bosses were offering a one-off sum of GBP 550 in return for agreement on cuts to services worth GBP 350million a year.

Now Royal Mail have backed down and offered a 2.5 per cent rise in pay.

But the Communication Workers Union leadership are set to reject the deal – worth GBP 7.75 a week before tax.

They argue that, with inflation at 4.8 per cent, the offer is a pay cut in real terms.

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WHSmith and Post Office a perfect match

Posted by | May 4, 2007 | |

The solution to the dire state of the UK’s town centre Post Offices is to fully merge them into WHSmith. The idea of switching 70 Crown Office branches to the high street chain, but leaving 373 to fend for themselves makes no sense.

Without a clearer strategy and better management, the money spent refurbishing these outlets will be wasted.

Transferring 15 outlets to different retail partners makes no sense. It will confuse customers and erode the natural synergies that exist. It is like finding your natural partner in life and then playing away when their back is turned.

When an ugly man marries a plain woman, the result is rarely a beautiful child. That said, WHSmith has been performing better of late. While I am still never quite sure what merchandise mix to expect when I go into a store, there is a sense that it is getting there under chief executive Kate Swann.

Unfortunately, I know exactly what to expect when I go into a high street Post Office. What upsets me most is the huge wasted retail opportunity; bare walls, unkempt ambience and demotivated staff. What most upsets customers are the lengthy, snake-like queues.

Someone once told me that the Post Office is headed by a renowned and capable retailer. They were mistaken. With one of the richest asset bases and strongest brands in the UK, the counters business lost GBP 111 million last year on sales down 14 per cent to GBP 838 million. Management whinge that they would have been profitable had it not been for the cost of carrying the uneconomic part of the rural network.

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