Tag: UK

3i leads the race for pounds 210m UK logistics group

Private equity firm 3i is poised to acquire niche logistics company Marken from Deutsche Post for about pounds 210m. Sources said 3i is now in exclusive talks with Deutsche Post advisers UBS to buy Marken, part of Exel, after submitting a higher bid than rival contenders. The other private equity firms thought to have been looking at the company include PPM, Phoenix Private Equity and Bridgepoint. Deutsche Post put Marken on the block last month, though it is not clear why it has decided sell. Analysts think that, after acquiring Exel last year, Deutsche might have some overlaps.

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Logistics World Alliance

Between them, Bibby Distribution UK, Azkar Spain and Portugal, Bartolini Italy, MGF Logistique France and the Rhenus group Germany have 24,800 employees and annual sales of €2.4bn. “We can serve customers from 500 sites in Europe and Asia and collectively can use over 2.5m m² of storage space”, says Hans-Peter Schneider who will head the World Alliance as Managing Director. The companies involved have a combined fleet of 10,000 vehicles – from bulk carrying trucks to messenger cars for parcel delivery. The European Office of the Alliance is at Rhenus headquarters in Holzwickede/Germany.

This World Alliance offers clients a complete range of high-grade contract logistics – from storage and handling to a variety of value-added services such as quality monitoring, repairs, and recycling. Geographically, the
focus is on Europe; for intercontinental supply chains the Alliance works with proven partners in Asia, etc.

Unlike other groups of companies, the Alliance practices a “One Face to the Customer“ approach where a client, instead of making separate agreements with each of the partners, determines conditions and services for all logistics firms involved through his contact. “Such an arrangement can only function with hand-picked partners who set high standards for themselves and their work. This is why we selected the founding members and cooperation partners very carefully“, commented Miguel Ambielle, Deputy General Manager for Azkar.

Cross-border integration of individual logistics solutions is supported by advanced approaches such as the Business Networking Platform. Developed by Rhenus, this system combines Internet techniques with functions derived from Enterprise Resource Planning. For example, an overseas customer can use the platform to monitor processes in individual European markets and to follow the development of previously defined indices.

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UK Royal Mail announces staff bonuses

Staff at Royal Mail will each receive a bonus of GBP400 next month for hitting productivity targets. Chairman Allan Leighton made the promise this weekend in a letter to his 180,000 workers. In a two-page letter, he said: “We had a very good Christmas and New Year. Quality of service is the best in the history of the company. If we can keep up this level until the year-end in March and our costs under control, we will hit the magic GBP600 million Share in Success target and pay out a minimum of GBP400 for everyone who has been in the business for this financial year.”

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UK Royal Mail pushes on with staff shares

UK Royal Mail says it is still “pushing hard” for government approval to give 20 per cent of its shares to staff, as part of its application for Pounds 2bn of state money. The news comes in spite of an agreement with unions to make basic pay a priority over other benefits. Allan Leighton, the state-owned postal operator’s chairman, yesterday wrote to its 165,000 staff to update them on the “noise around privatisation etc and shares for you all”. The proposed employee share ownership scheme “can be done very simply and we are pushing hard on this”, he wrote. Royal Mail was adamant its championing of the scheme was not undermined by a productivity agreement reached this week with the Communication Workers’ Union, which has opposed the proposal. The agreement – which allocates 40 per cent of cost savings to the next pay round – says Royal Mail recognises staff have clearly prioritised increases in basic pay over other benefits.

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