|
|
 |
|
|
Showing results 11 -
20 of 46
|
PREV
2
3
4
5
Itella Interim Report for January-June 2010 - August 30, 2010
[Press Release.]
January-June 2010 Highlights:
• The Itella Group's net sales in the first half of 2010 totaled EUR 904.6 million (EUR 916.2 million in January-June 2009). International operations accounted for 31% (30%) of net sales. Itella Information and Itella Logistics increased their net sales, while Itella Mail Communication saw its net sales decline.
• Operating profit was EUR 12.1 million (EUR 27.7 million), representing 1.3% (3.0%) of net sales. Financial performance was taxed by restructuring costs of EUR 13.8 million (EUR 6.1 million). Profitability weakened considerably in Itella Mail Communication and slightly in Itella Information. Itella Logistics was able to decrease its loss.
• Mail delivery volumes followed the trend seen in other industrialized countries. The volume of addressed mail decreased by 1% year-on-year. The delivery volumes of newspapers and magazines fell by 2% and 8%, respectively. Parcel delivery volumes dropped by 4%.
• The average personnel reduction compared with the corresponding period in 2009 was 1,050 in Finland and 650 in other countries.
April-June 2010 Highlights:
• The Itella Group recorded net sales of EUR 450.6 million in April-June (EUR 438.6 million).
• Operating profit was EUR -6.3 million (EUR 7.8 million), including EUR 14.5 million (EUR 4.4 million) of restructuring costs.
Jukka Alho, President and CEO:
"Itella's net sales do not yet suggest any clear changes in the economic conditions. Logistics are the most sensitive barometer in this respect; the result for the period indicates that the economic outlook is slowly improving. Recently the market has picked up in international freight and Russian warehouse logistics, for instance.
In Finland we are reaching a situation where the financial recession is leading to accelerated digitization of postal mail. Thus, we will have to adapt to decreasing delivery volumes in the next few years. This naturally involves a need for personnel reductions over a longer period of time.
The profitability of Finnish postal services has been continually declining and is no longer satisfactory. Despite this, regulatory supervision in Finland is further hampering the profitability of postal services. In other countries and other fields of business that face similar problems efforts are being made to improve the operating conditions. This is particularly the case when citizens' core services are at stake. A more challenging operating environment will increase the pressure to reduce personnel, and it will be especially difficult to provide postal services for sparsely populated areas."
Royal Mail’s Spring Quality Of Service Report - August 27, 2010
[Press Release.]Disruption to UK air services caused by ash from the Icelandic volcano eruption this spring resulted in Royal Mail narrowly missing its First Class target in the period, according to the company’s latest quality of service report published today.
The majority of other quality targets, however, including Second Class and Standard Parcels, were achieved in the spring.
The latest preliminary figures for the summer months show that First Class mail has again been performing ahead of its 93.0% target.
Royal Mail operates the UK’s largest night-time air charter operation to fly First Class mail travelling longer distances, for example between Scotland and the south of England. Although First Class mail was transferred to road and ferry services during the period of disruption to UK flights in April, there are no alternative distribution routes which ensure next-day delivery.
The performance report for the period from the end of March to early June showed that 92.6% of First Class stamped and franked mail arrived the day after posting - but if it had not been for the air disruption caused by volcanic ash, First Class would have exceeded its 93.0% target.
The report shows Second Class stamped and franked mail exceeded its 98.5% target with a 98.6% performance, along with most business mail services, Standard Parcels and International Delivery for mail posted in the UK for European destinations. First Class bulk mail narrowly missed its target - again as a direct result of disruption to air services.
Mark Higson, Royal Mail’s Managing Director, said: "We’re very determined to keep improving our performance to ensure we consistently hit our targets and our people are very focused on delivering the best possible service at all times for all our customers. "
Pleasing Half-Year Profit For Swiss Post - August 27, 2010
[Press Release.]In the first half of 2010, Swiss Post generated Group profit of 484 million Swiss francs. That is an increase of 35 percent on the same period last year. Swiss Post posted good results in all four markets. The increase is primarily due to a rise in customer deposits, higher net interest income and the revival of the economy. Ongoing and completed cost reduction programmes in the areas of logistics and letter post also impacted positively on profit. In the same period the headcount increased by 562 full-time equivalents. From today’s standpoint, Swiss Post expects a good full-year result. The Group is continuing its efforts to generate results in line with the industry standard in all four markets.
From January to June 2010, Swiss Post generated Group profit of 484 million francs. That is 126 million francs or 35 percent more than in the same period last year (358 million francs). The increase was primarily attributable to a rise in customer deposits, considerably higher net interest income than in the first six months of the previous year, and the improved economic situation, one result of which was greater volumes of promotional mailings and parcels. Overall, operating income («sales») rose by 105 million to 4,311 million francs (previous year: 4,206 million). At the same time, expenditure fell, mainly due to efficiency gains – from the new letter centres and cost reductions in logistics – as well as currency effects. The Group headcount went up by 562 in comparison with the same period the previous year, to 45,098 full-time equivalents.
Successful in all four markets
All four markets in which Swiss Post is active contributed to the pleasing half-year result. In the communication market an operating result of 79 million francs was generated, mirroring that of the previous year. The decline in addressed letters continued, albeit at a slower pace; the volume of mail was 2.6 percent lower by the middle of the year than it was at the same time a year before. The price cuts introduced on 1 July 2009 and the assumption of VAT also had a negative impact on the figures. However, an increase in unaddressed promotional mailings and the effects of various cost-reduction measures stemmed the fall of the PostMail operating result; it was 109 million francs (previous year: 127 million). At Swiss Post International, the difficult economic environment in some countries affected the result, which was just below that of the year before at 27 million francs (29 million last year). Swiss Post Solutions generated a break-even result, thanks mainly to cost-reduction measures (previous year: minus 10 million francs). Post Offices & Sales improved its result by 10 million francs thanks to cost reductions and increased revenue from non-postal items, generating minus 57 million francs.
In the logistics market the result rose from 15 to 76 million francs. PostLogistics benefited from an increase in parcel volumes (+4.5%), thanks in part to the improved economic situation and electronic trade, as well as to considerable efficiency gains. The retail finance market (PostFinance) made the largest contribution to the Group result, 274 million francs (previous year: 198 million francs). Higher customer deposits and higher net interest were the main drivers of this increase. In the continually expanding market for public passenger transport, PostBus achieved an operating result of 17 million francs (previous year: 24 million francs). The decrease in comparison to the previous year is due to, among other factors, the enhancement of the PostBus offering.
Group result must remain broadly based
From today’s standpoint, Swiss Post expects a good full-year result and to achieve the financial targets it was set by the Federal Council. However, the economic situation and volume trends remain uncertain. In addition to this, too great a dependence on the retail finance market is risky. Swiss Post will therefore continue its efforts to keep costs in check and to safeguard its earnings and make them as broadly based as possible in the four markets in which it is active.
Itella To Test Newspaper Reading With An e-Reader - August 26, 2010
[Press Release.]Itella will test newspaper reading with the electronic iPad reading device at the end of the year. The test will be executed in cooperation with the Borgåbladet newspaper. In the test, the electronic version of the newspaper will be delivered to NetPosti, an electronic mailbox provided by Itella. The objective is to involve five to ten mail recipient households who already participate in the experiment carried out in Anttila, Porvoo, concerning the electronic delivery of letter mail.
"Newspapers in electronic reading devices are already common in many countries. With the Borgåbladet newspapers and those reading it, we want to try out how suitable newspaper reading with an electronic device is in Finland. We will also obtain experiences on whether Finns have an interest in and a need to use the reading method enabled by the new technology. We believe that the test will also more extensively benefit the Finnish media sector as it considers operating models of the future," says Tommi Tikka, Development Director.
"Participating in the test is a valuable opportunity for us to try out new means of reaching our readers," says Stefan Holmström, Editor-in-Chief of Borgåbladet.
In the experiment, launched in the Anttila area in Porvoo, the participants receive their letters in electronic format in NetPosti. The experiment involves a total of 140 companies and households in the area. The participants have been mainly satisfied with the new way of receiving letter deliveries, and the experiment has already been modified according to the feedback given by the customers.
"It is great that Borgåbladet joins in. There are residents in Anttila in Porvoo, who have a positive attitude towards testing something new, and they see that in this way, they can contribute to the progress of development. We believe that a sufficient number of interested participants will also be found to read their newspaper in electronic format," says Tikka.
Pos Malaysia's Earnings To Grow By 66.4 Per Cent, Says OSK Research - August 25, 2010
[Bernama.]Pos Malaysia Bhd's earnings in financial year 2011 will grow by 66.4 per cent from financial year 2010 as full contribution from the postal tariff hike takes effect, according to OSK Research.
The research house maintained a "buy" recommendation on Pos Malaysia with target price of RM4.03 in a research note today.
It also maintained Pos Malaysia's financial year 2010 revenue forecast of RM978.3 million.
OSK Research expects operating margins in the second half of this year to improve as the quantum of tariff hike offsets the higher staff and operating costs.
On Khazanah Nasional's plan to divest its stake in Pos Malaysia, the research house said the foreign and local strategic partners from the entire Khazanah stake sale have been quite active in the past two months.
The potential suitors include DHL, TNT and recently a leading global private equity firm, CVC, emerged as another bidder, it said.
"We do not rule out that this may have progressed to the advanced stage as the year-end deadline approaches," it added.
According to OSK Research, a synergistic partnership will be able to drive efforts to boost Pos Malaysia's retail segment to provide more value offerings upon the revision of the Postal Land Act to enable the company to use its government land bank for non-postal services.
Deutsche Post Consolidates Involvement In Online Advertising Market And Acquires Nugg.Ad - August 24, 2010
[Press Release.]Deutsche Post will implement the vision of predictive behavioural targeting with nugg.ad.
In taking over nugg.ad AG, Deutsche Post AG is acquiring Europe's largest targeting platform and in so doing has expanded its competence as a service provider in the on-line advertising market. With this investment in the leading targeting technology, the Group has consolidated new areas of growth in online marketing fully in accordance with its 2015 strategy. As a subsidiary, nugg.AG will continue to be an independent targeting service provider for marketers and advertising agencies from the company's headquarters in Berlin. The company structure remains unchanged and will be expanded.
Targeting in the online field includes targeted management of display advertising on websites to achieve as high a level as possible in terms of targeting effectiveness. With its platform for targeting marketing across sectors and the implementation of completely new approaches for branding campaigns nugg ad, the targeting market leader, is acting as a service provider for numerous players in the online advertising market such as publishers and media agencies. As a subsidiary of Deutsche Post, nugg.ad wants to drive forward the vision of a new market standard for targeting campaigns.
Chinese Postal and Express Industry Sees 72.84 B Yuan Operating Revenue in First 7 Months - August 24, 2010
[Capitalvue.com.]Nationwide postal service companies and large-scale express delivery companies generated an operating revenue of 72.84 billion yuan in first 7 months of 2010, up 19 percent year-on-year, reports Yicai.com, citing statistics published by the State Post Bureau.
Revenue in July grew 12.8 percent year-on-year to 9.58 billion yuan, according to the State Post Bureau.
The shipping volume of nationwide postal service companies and large-scale express delivery companies in the first 7 months of 2010 reached 1.23 billion, up 23.6 percent year-on-year.
Express delivery shipping volume in July grew 18.7 percent from year-on-year to 190 million.
Royal Mail Poll: Keep Postal Service Public - August 23, 2010
[UKPA .]The Government has been urged to drop Royal Mail privatisation plans after a new survey showed that most people wanted the postal service to remain publicly-owned.
Just one in seven of 2,000 people polled by Labour leadership contender Ed Balls and the Communication Workers Union said they supported privatisation.
Just over half of Conservative voters and two-thirds of Liberal Democrats supported a fully publicly-owned Royal Mail.
The union has already mounted a fresh campaign after the Government signalled its intention to introduce legislation paving the way for Royal Mail privatisation.
Mr Balls, speaking in Burnley, said the case for privatising or selling off parts of the Royal Mail had not been made, adding: "Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union have made massive strides to agree tough modernisation plans which mean it has a long-term future in the public sector.
"With the economy so uncertain, it's unlikely to fetch a fair price and the taxpayer may still be expected to carry the burden of Royal Mail's pension deficit - a massive public handout to whoever bought the company.
"The right solution is to make a modernised Royal Mail work as a public service. So, over the coming weeks, I will be campaigning with CWU members to keep the post public and reject any proposals to sell it off."
Billy Hayes, general secretary of the CWU, said: "This poll reaffirms what we already knew - the British public do not want their postal services sold off.
"The union and the company have worked hard to agree a fully funded modernisation plan and that work needs support from the Government.
"We hope that the coalition Government will recognise that the British public don't want the sale and will follow Ed's lead in defending a hugely popular public institution and drop plans for a Bill to privatise it."
Comreg Not Allowed To Put €2.5m Surplus Into Pensions - August 23, 2010
[Ian Kehoe, ThePost.ie.]The government has clashed with the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) after the watchdog attempted to transfer millions of euro from its operating surplus to prop up its ailing pension fund.
The Sunday Business Post has learned that the Department of Finance intervened after it emerged that ComReg had transferred €2.5 million from its 2008 operating surplus to help plug a €5 million pension deficit.
ComReg also intended to transfer a further €2.5 million from its 2009 surplus to wipe out the pension shortfall completely.
The money was due to come from the operating surplus, which would otherwise be transferred to the exchequer.
Following government queries, ComReg has agreed to ‘‘restore the €2.5 million payments’’, and the commission is working on an alternative solution to deal with the pension problem.
Details of the issue are contained in confidential briefing notes prepared by the Department of Finance, which have been obtained by this newspaper following a Freedom of Information request.
According to the briefing notes, the Department of Communication, Energy and Natural Resources noticed that €2.5 million had been transferred in 2008 when examining ComReg’s accounts.
The regulator generates income of around €14 million a year by levying postal operators and telecoms companies and from licence fees.
The surplus is handed over to government.
The issue was raised with ComReg, which explained that an independent actuarial assessment identified a €5 million pension deficit that it was obliged to deal with.
‘‘ComReg decided to offset the deficit by transferring €2.5 million in the accounting periods year-ending June 2008 and year-ending June 2009 from its surplus income," read the documents.
‘‘This was done following consideration by the pension trustees, the audit committee, and the commissioners and after taking independent professional advice."
However, the matter was subsequently subject to discussions between the government, the Comptroller & Auditor General and ComReg.
U.S. Magazine Puts Video Ad In Select Copies - August 23, 2010
[Lynn Hicks, DesMoines register.]Meredith Corp. has found a new way to use multimedia: a video inside a magazine.
Its August issue of Successful Farming has an insert from Bayer Crop Science. When readers open the page, a video plays a commercial for Votivo, a pesticide that protects crops from nematodes.
The video, about the size of a cell phone screen, also plays four other commercials when readers push "play" buttons on the advertisement.
Successful Farming — which was first published in 1902, making it Meredith's oldest magazine — included the insert in 17,000 copies of the magazine, or about 4 percent of its subscribers, said Publisher Scott Mortimer. Meredith matched its database with Bayer's list of customers, and the advertisement also went to some farmers who have more than 1,000 acres.
The Des Moines media company said video-inserted advertisements have appeared in magazines only twice before. Americhip, which created the Successful Farming ad, also created similar advertisements for Pepsi and CBS to run in Entertainment Weekly last fall.
Mortimer said two or three advertisers have requested information after seeing the ad in the August issue.
"I imagine we'll see more of them," he said. "This is client-driven. It depends how much they want to push the envelope."
The U.S. Postal Service required that Successful Farming include the words "Magazine contains lithium-ion batteries" on its table of contents. That warning confused at least one reader who didn't receive the ad, Mortimer said.
PREV
2
3
4
5
|
|
