The UK’s biggest printing companies 2006
The UK’s biggestprinting companies 2006
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Royal Mail boss ready to take charge at Sainsbury's
Allan Leighton, chairman of the Royal Mail and former Asda boss, is ready to take control of supermarket chain Sainsbury in the event of a takeover bid.
It is understood that Mr Leighton, who worked alongside Archie Norman to revitalise Asda during the 1990s – has been approached by the private equity consortium working on bid plans and has told them he is keen to work with them.
His final decision is believed to hinge on what potential bid price they arrive at. He is unwilling to get involved if the price required to buy Sainsbury’s is more than 550p, as it would starve the supermarket chain of the investment funds he believes are necessary.
Read MoreUK Mail awarded major contract with BBC
Business Post Group plc announces that its mail company UK Mail, a competitor to Royal Mail in downstream access postal services, has been awarded a contract to provide downstream access postal services for TV Licensing. This marks a major achievement for UK Mail and follows in the footsteps of the prestigious mail contract won with HM Government Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
This new contract is due to commence on 1 April 2007 and is worth up to GBP 8.1 million per year.
UK Mail beat off formidable competition from three rival postal providers in the final stages of the tender process in 2006. The business’s provision of significant cost and service benefits coupled with its various pricing and product innovations were all critical factors in the final decision. The BBC began trading with UK Mail on a trial basis in October last year whilst negotiating the final details of the contract. During this period substantial cost savings were identified alongside an improved flow of calls to its call centre.
All presorted mail from TV Licensing will now be dispatched via UK Mail’s downstream access model whereby mail is collected and sorted at its national network of 58 sites into Royal Mail’s 69 Inward Mail Centres on a daily basis.
Read MoreFedEx contract update
Business Post Group plc announces that, further to its statement on 18 December 2006 regarding FedEx Corporation’s intention to terminate the Group’s contract as its Global Service Participant in the UK, the terms of that termination have been satisfactorily agreed. The contract will now terminate on 30 April 2007 with the people and dedicated assets related to the contract and associated costs being transferred to FedEx. This early termination avoids the potential for an increasingly unprofitable run-down of the contract over the full term of the original notice period.
In the year to 31 March 2007 the FedEx contract will generate revenue of approximately GBP19m, and a profit contribution of some GBP2m. Business Post will incur an exceptional cost in the current financial year of some GBP1m relating to contract exit costs.
Guy Buswell, Chief Executive of Business Post, said:
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with FedEx. We wanted this early termination to allow us to focus our resources immediately on the development of the new, longer term opportunities now open to the group,”
CR-UK to encourage public to join forces
Cancer Research UK (CR-UK) is launching an integrated campaign, including nearly 18 million door drops, to support its ‘Lives Back’ campaign.
A total of 17,848,916 door drops will be sent out as part of the campaign in a series of five deliveries, the biggest of which (7.6 million packs) takes place on 12 February. Postal sector rankings have been used to identify the most responsive sectors and radio spots will contain a ‘Look out for your mailpack’ call to action.
Anthony Newman, direct marketing director at CR-UK, said the ‘Lives Back’ campaign “marks a new direction for the charity’s marketing activity. We hope that it will motivate people to help beat cancer together”.
Cancer Research UK launched in 2002 after the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign with Imperial Cancer Research Fund. It now has more than half a million regular UK donors and in 2005-06 spent GBP 257m on scientific research into the disease.
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