Market Flash: Direct Mail Review
Market Flash: Direct Mail Review
Read MoreTag: Worldwide
Home Delivery Network Limited helps deliver thousands of visitors to the Spring Fair
Home Delivery Network Limited (HDNL) will literally be ‘delivering’ visitors to the Spring Fair 2008. HDNL is sponsoring the Circle Line shuttle bus service which will offer the show’s 73,000 visitors a quick and easy way of getting around the Spring Fair’s twenty halls.
At the event, the HDNL team will be launching new services including 24 and standard 48 hour services, which will be available to retailers for products under 25kg of all volumes, shapes and sizes. For the first time HDNL has also lowered minimum parcel volumes to offer their award winning service to smaller retailers.
This year the continued roll out of the latest supply chain technology, including state of the art Hand Held Terminals will enable retailers to offer ‘real time’ delivery information to their customers, online customer support and online proof of delivery.
HDNL Chairman Walter Blackwood said “Over the last year we have been meeting with retailers to compile a ‘wish list’ of features they want from their carrier. This included ‘real time’ parcel visibility and lower minimum parcel volumes. 2008 is set to be an exciting year for HDNL as we implement these new services.”
Read MoreThe Western Union Company reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2007
Highlights for the fourth quarter include:
— Revenue of USD 1.3 billion, up 12pct
— EPS of USD 0.32, up 14pct
— Operating income margin of 28pct
— Consumer-to-consumer revenue increased 12pct, transactions up 14pct
— Consumer-to-business revenue grew 13pct, transactions up 49pct
Highlights for the full year include:
— Revenue of USD 4.9 billion, up 10pct
— EPS of USD 1.11, or USD 1.13 excluding the previously announced USD 0.02 per share non-cash charge
— Operating income margin of 27pct
— Cash provided by operating activities of USD 1.1 billion
— More than 335,000 agent locations
— 572 million total C2C and C2B transactions
“Western Union’s revenue and earnings growth accelerated throughout the year, which enabled us to deliver our expectations for the fourth quarter, and we are pleased with these results,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Christina Gold. “2007 demonstrated Western Union’s strengths as a geographically diverse global company, with 65pct of total annual revenue generated by our international consumer-to-consumer money transfer business. Additionally, our consumer-to-business segment continues to grow with Pago Facil, our bill payment company in Argentina, continuing to exceed expectations.”
Fourth Quarter Results
Revenue was USD 1.3 billion, up 12pct, or 10pct excluding the December 6, 2006 acquisition of Pago Facil. Revenue also included USD 28 million from currency translation of the euro.
Total consumer-to-consumer revenue in the fourth quarter grew 12pct to USD 1.1 billion on transaction growth of 14pct. A significant portion of the growth was attributable to the continued strong performance within the international consumer-to-consumer business, which increased revenue 17pct while growing transactions 19pct. The international-to-international subset, those transactions that originate outside of the U.S., grew faster still, posting 25pct revenue growth and 28pct transaction growth. This international-to-international subset contributed 54pct of Western Union’s fourth quarter total revenue.
Read MoreEPA recognizes FedEx as leader in renewable energy use (U.S)
FedEx Kinko’s and the FedEx Express Oakland Hub were today recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power Partnership program as one of 53 Fortune 500 companies investing in green power.
Nearly a year ago, EPA asked Fortune 500 companies to collectively invest in more than 5 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power – electricity that is generated from environmentally renewable resources, such as wind and solar. Today EPA announced that the program exceeded its goal by 130 percent.
The FedEx Express Oakland Hub Facility – a solar electric hub since 2005 – contributed to the goal by generating more than 1.2 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power, which can supply up to 80 percent of the facility’s peak energy demand, the equivalent of power used by more than 900 homes during the daytime. The Express Oakland Hub was one of only eight Fortune 500 companies on EPA’s list that acquires green power through an on-site renewable energy system, an innovative and proactive way to help protect the environment.
FedEx Kinko’s ranked on EPA’s Top 10 Retail list with more than 76 million kWh of green power or 32 percent of FedEx Kinko’s total energy consumption. Over 785 FedEx Kinko’s locations in 38 states purchase energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar.
Read MoreMaxBox expands into Ireland, Australia
The MaxBox is back and expanding rapidly.
Shortly after announcing the launch of MaxBox Digital Retail Ltd., a rebranding of MaxBox’s original home, Felix Corp., the new company is showing signs of life thanks to two deals that will bring a minimum of 2,000 MaxBox kiosks to Ireland and Australia.
MaxBox closed the Ireland deal last week at the ATEi/ICE trade show in London. Ireland-based Cyberhut Ltd., a provider of automated Internet terminals to the retail sector, signed a three-year contract to distribute a minimum of 1,000 MaxBox digital retail kiosks across northern and southern Ireland. MaxBox also plans to announce a similar deal to release another 1,000 kiosks in Australia, said Andy Egan, chairman and chief executive officer of MaxBox Digital Retail, in a phone interview.
These announcements come just a month after Egan’s resignation from Felix Corp. over business differences with the company’s board chairman. However, Egan said in reality he was pushed out and eventually fired. He attributes his downfall at Felix to the chairman’s impatience with the MaxBox’s rollout.
“He wanted to do something that was more quickly and the MaxBox has always been something that has come out more slowly,” Egan said. “Finally, they weren’t supportive anymore, which I thought was ridiculous.”
Thanks to mortgaging his home, car and a few other personal items, Egan, the founder of Felix Corp., bought back the trading arm of the company from its administrators on Jan. 11.
“I think I personally have more in the kiosk industry now than anyone else in the world,” he said only half-jokingly.
One stumbling block to taking back the MaxBox portion of Felix was that the company’s administrators had already begun to yank the already deployed MaxBox kiosks. However, Egan said some of the location’s owners refused to give up their machines. As for the ones that did get removed, the company is working to get those back in place.
MaxBox has also renewed talks with KIOSK Information Systems to install MaxBox software to new and existing kiosks in the United States.
Egan said his goal in obtaining the MaxBox property again was to finish what he started. Though he said the rollout will probably continue at a slow pace for now, he expects that once a big name retailer comes on board, the number of kiosks in deployment will increase rapidly.
“I think it will still come slow for us,” he said. “But I think 2008 is the year we will get some traction.”
Read MorePost & Parcel Magazine
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