Tag: UK

Postcomm – financial penalties

Posted by | Apr 18, 2008 | |

Postcomm has revised its statement of policy in relation to financial penalties (‘statement of policy’).

Under the Postal Services Act 2000, Postcomm has the discretionary power to impose a financial penalty on a licence holder that has contravened – or is contravening – one or more of its licence conditions. Postcomm must prepare and publish a statement of policy, in relation to imposing a penalty and the amount of that penalty.

Postcomm published its current statement of policy in February 2002. Since then, Postcomm has imposed four financial penalties on Royal Mail and there have been a number of significant changes in the postal services market, including the full opening of the market in January 2006 and the adoption of a new price control for Royal Mail in April 2006. Postcomm said, at the time the statement of policy was introduced, that it would consider revising the statement in the light of experience in its application. Postcomm decided that it should consult on revising its statement of policy.

The consultation document was published on 8 August 2007 and sought views on a proposed revised statement of policy.

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UK keeps a digital distance

Posted by | Apr 18, 2008 | |

Whether it is sacking staff by text message or dumping your partner by email, digital communication has made us a nation of cowards, according to a new report out today from Post Office Telecoms.

The findings show that many UK residents are maintaining that famous British reserve by relying on text messages and email to get themselves out of sticky situations – with 73 per cent of people admitting to delegating difficult tasks at work by email and text, and 52 per cent using these forms of technology to contact new business prospects.

The report shows that one in four young people* think it is appropriate to call into work sick via email or text message, with one in seven admitting to having done so in the last 12 months. It also reveals that 3 per cent of UK adults even admit to ending a relationship by text message in the last year.

The report, called ‘Etiquette in the Digital Age’, is authored by etiquette expert Liz Brewer, whose credits include ITV’s ‘Ladette to Lady’.

Stewart Fox-Mills, head of telephony at the Post Office, said: “Digital technology is constantly giving us new ways to communicate, which enriches our day to day lives. But we’ve found that many people are in fact using modem technology to keep a ‘digital distance’ and avoid face-to-face or verbal confrontation.

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FedEx Express UK celebrates 35 years of service

Posted by | Apr 17, 2008 | |

FedEx Express is celebrating 35 years of service in the air cargo industry on 17 April 2008. In 1973, founder Fred Smith launched FedEx from an abandoned military hangar at Memphis International Airport. Since then, FedEx has risen to become a global company facilitating trade across nations and continents. FedEx has experienced many milestones along the way, including being the first express delivery company to introduce overnight shipments and to have its own fleet of aircraft.

On 17 April 1973, 14 FedEx Falcon airplanes took off carrying just 186 packages. Today FedEx Express employs approximately 141,000 employees and handles an average daily volume of more than 7.5 million shipments, with 671 aircraft and more than 44,500 vehicles servicing 220 countries in its integrated global network.

Operating in 123 countries and territories in Europe, the Middle East, the Indian Sub-Continent and Africa, FedEx has consistently been recognised by Fortune as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies, ranking sixth in 2008. The company has also been repeatedly named as a Great Place to Work and trusted employer throughout Europe and ranked in the top 50 companies in the UK.

In 2007 FedEx Express in the UK announced the launch of an express freighter flight directly linking Manchester to Memphis in the U.S. The service increased daily capacity from the UK to the US by 50 per cent and added up to 20 per cent daily capacity from Europe to the US. This flexibility to adapt to new circumstances that comes with each new challenge is possible thanks to the wide variety of services offered by FedEx worldwide.

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UK Competition in Delivery

Posted by | Apr 17, 2008 | |

Postcomm is seeking views on potential barriers to competition in delivery, the so-called ‘final mile’ in the UK postal sector.

As part of the regulator’s forward work plan it is assessing the potential benefits of delivery competition, particularly in ensuring a healthy universal service and supporting a range of reliable, innovative and efficient postal services, including a universal service reflecting the needs of users, valued by customers, and delivered through a successful Royal Mail and a sustainable competitive market.

While competition through access agreements has developed quickly since Royal Mail negotiated the first such agreement in 2004, competition in delivery has actually declined for the last two years.

Postcomm has already identified a number of possible barriers, and the regulator is seeking views on new and emerging issues affecting the growth of competition in delivery.

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Amazon launches major distribution centre in Swansea

Posted by | Apr 16, 2008 | |

Online retailer Amazon has announced that it has opened a major new distribution centre in South Wales.

The company is now seeking more than 1,000 new workers to staff the 800,000 sq ft site at Swansea Bay, located on 33 acres of land near the city’s seaport.

According to Amazon, hundreds more jobs will be created in the area over the next five years and the new centre is the company’s fourth and largest distribution facility in Britain.

The US retail giant has sites at Glenrothes and Gourock in Scotland and Milton Keynes in the south of England.

Amazon’s new Swansea centre, built by Australian construction firm Macquarie Goodman, will play a key role in meeting current and future demand, as the company continues to see profits rise from the continued growth of Britain’s internet shopping sector.

Swansea is the second largest city in Wales and the opening of the new centre speeded up building of a new access road to Jersey Marine in Swansea, where the centre is located.

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