Rival post boxes to Royal Mail could be set up in supermarkets, garages and high street shops under plans by Business Post, the Birmingham mail group.
Business Post is in talks with potential partners to establish a high-street presence to compete with Royal Mail, and also wants to put its own collection boxes in post offices. A machine with Business Post stamps may be attached to the post box, or stamps could be bought from retailers hosting the new post boxes.
I’m no particular fan of Richard Littlejohn’s political views, but I would recommend his book To Hell in a Handcard, for an insight into our national preoccupation with addressing symptoms rather than causes. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for competition and consumer choice, but instead of recognising that this great British institution has commercial issues it needs to address (not least the perception among business users that it is overpriced and supporting its objective of becoming a major European player), we choose to chop its legs off.
Read MoreRECENTLY I have been intensely irritated by media criticism of our wonderful post office service and thus heartily endorse every single word of the letter from Mr and Mrs Underhill which (WMN, February 6).
Let me give you a current example of the excellent service provided which is not untypical in my experience.
A letter sent by first class mail from the Lake District, postmarked 7.30pm, was delivered here in Tavistock by our friendly and helpful postman at 7.15am the following morning.
Are some of us never satisfied?
Read MoreLast week’s postal union ballot in favour of national strike action threatens to deal a body-blow to many in the direct marketing industry – not least of which will be the embattled Consignia, currently losing up to #1.5m a day.
Yet perhaps the most severely affected will be the financial services community, for whom the months of February and March are the most crucial.
The DMA and Royal Mail have held the first meeting of their Steering Group, set up last year to promote closer co-operation between the two bodies.
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