Romanian Post Launches Child Reading Campaign - July 19, 2010 Franz Groter, Hellmail.]Romanian Post SA CN this month launched an initiative to encourage more children to read. So far the operator has gathered over 15,000 books in 350 urban post offices. The scheme has been called "A book opens a new world".
Books collected during the campaign which runs from June 1 to September 1, 2010, will be distributed to more than 40 libraries in rural schools for use in the beginning of the school year running from 2010-2011.
The "A book opens a new world" campaign is part of series of actions involving the Romanian Post which is supporting local communities to enrich schools with books in rural areas.
Romanians wishing to participate in the project can deliver books to one of nearly 350 urban post offices, marked by campaign posters.
DHL Delivers Mercedes-Benz Gullwing Worldwide - July 19, 2010
[Press Release.]DHL Global Forwarding, the world's leading provider of air and ocean freight services, was entrusted with the global distribution of the new Mercedes-Benz sports car, the AMG SLS Gullwing.
The cars are forwarded both by sea and by air to 40 destinations worldwide. The strong DHL network, which covers 220 countries and territories around the world, and the broad range of logistics services offered by DHL Global Forwarding to the automotive industry were the decisive factors in acquiring the prestigious contract.
"With our proven expertise in automotive logistics, we also specialize in the transport of individual extraordinary and high-value cars. That is why we are very pleased that Daimler entrusted us with the distribution of their brand new sports car," says Volker Oesau, CEO DHL Global Forwarding Central Europe and Global Sponsor Automotive.
DHL's industry-specific network was a decisive factor for Daimler's decision to entrust DHL Global Forwarding with this project. With more than 100 qualified automotive logistics experts worldwide, based in nearly 20 Automotive Competence Centers at all the important locations in Europe, the Middle East, in Asia and in America, DHL boasts an excellent infrastructure.
Review: Royal Mail Is Still Not Delivering Two Years On - July 16, 2010
[Press Release.]Royal Mail is still not delivering in its service to small businesses two years on from a review into the postal service.
In its response to the consultation 'Review of developments in the postal market and Royal Mail since 2008', the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is disappointed that the situation with Royal Mail remains the same as in 2008, and that the same key issues highlighted then are still prevalent now.
Small firms are a loyal customer base that frequently visit the Post Office. In a survey of more than 1,200 members of the FSB-ICM 'Voice of Small Business' panel, the FSB found that 94 per cent of respondents want a UK-wide postal service and six in 10 (59%) want to continue to receive mail deliveries six days a week.
Adversely, the FSB is still concerned that the problems diagnosed two years ago are affecting the service received by small firms. The FSB believes that the following need urgent action:
• Part-privatisation needs to be announced quickly: other FSB research shows that a quarter (27%) of small businesses would consider part-privatisation as a way forward to saving the Royal Mail and if it meant that no more Post Offices would be closed.
• Set out plans to deal with the pension deficit: the FSB firmly believes that until the pension deficit is dealt with, Royal Mail will not be able to function to its fullest potential.
• A new regulatory regime should be put in place.
• No more lost days: previous strike action cost businesses between £500 and £5,000 and in this vital recovery period, small firms cannot face the risk of losing trade again.
Small businesses are not getting the services they need from the Post Office and the FSB has long been calling for a Post Bank - a state-run bank or mutual or trustee bank run through the Post Office Network. FSB research shows that 38 per cent of members would leave their current bank for the Post Bank.
The FSB believes that it is only by expanding the Post Offices financial services that the Network will become financially viable. If the Post Office Network is to give small firms the service they need, the Government must commit to creating a Post Bank.
Clive Davenport, Trade and Industry Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said:
"It is completely unacceptable that small businesses have to take the hit in poor services from the postal service. Two years ago, the Hooper report clearly stated that the Royal Mail and the postal service needed serious reforming to ensure that it is sustainable and provides the service small businesses and consumers deserve.
"Post Offices are the heart of many communities and act not only as a place to send invoices or to collect parcels, but as somewhere for small firms to network and meet like-minded business men and women as well as potential customers.
"It is simple - small firms are severely let down by the lack of business services available and are not provided with a fully operational service. The Government must commit to the importance of sustaining local communities and must step up and support Royal Mail and the Post Office Network by creating a Post Bank."
Iceland Post Launches Message In A Bottle - July 16, 2010
[Press Release.]Iceland Post recently started to sell and distribute a message in a bottle. The message in a bottle can be bought a post offices and it is a unusual wrap for correspondant be it domestic or abroad. On one side of the plastic bottle there is a photograph from Iceland and on the other there is the addressing label.
The message in a bottle is available with two different photographs, from the eruption on Eyjafjallajökull or the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).
The bottle contains a sheet of paper for the sender to write on. The sheet is then inserted into the bottle, the bottle is sealed and then mailed. Iceland Post will then deliver the message in a bottle to the intended recipient anywhere in the world.
Norwegian Mail Service Fined By ESA - July 15, 2010
[Norway Post.]The Norwegian mail service Posten Norge has been fined NOK 102 million (EUR 12.9 mill) by the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)'s watchdog ESA for breach of EEA competition rules.
The Authority has concluded that Posten Norge infringed Article 54 of the EEA Agreement by abusing its dominant position in Norway between 2000 and 2006.
Posten Norge is surprised by the ruling, and is considering appealing to EFTA's court of appeal.
Posten Norge is the national postal operator in Norway and a leading provider of parcel delivery services. The case concerns handling of parcels sent by mail-order and e-commerce companies to Norwegian consumers. Posten Norge has had a particularly strong position in this market.
Following a complaint, the Authority has carried out an extensive investigation of the Posten Norge's exclusivity agreements with certain retail groups and outlets (grocery stores, kiosks and petrol stations) for the establishment of its Post-in-Shop network.
In its ruling ESA states that these agreements entailed that Posten Norge made it difficult for competing suppliers of parcel delivery services from establishing a nationwide, competing delivery network of collection points for their parcels.
Japan Post Workers Seek New Status - July 15, 2010
[Kyodo News.]Japan Post Holdings Co. said Wednesday that about 34,000 nonregular group employees have applied for examinations to become regular employees later this year.
Of about 200,000 nonregular Japan Post group employees, some 65,000 who meet certain conditions have been allowed to make such a bid since mid-June through June 30, after then postal reform minister Shizuka Kamei called for such a change to stabilize employment in the group.
After written examinations and interviews from early August, Japan Post will announce successful applicants in early October and switch their employee status around November.
The step is estimated to cost ¥2 million per person annually on average in the coming decade, according to group officials, alluding to possible additional pressures on management of the Japan Post group if a large number of applicants pass the exams.
Confusion On New Charges Made Royal Mail Millions - July 15, 2010
[Sean Poulter, Daily Mail.]Royal Mail's income from customer penalty fees soared by 50 per cent after it created mass confusion by changing the way it charges for letters.
The organisation moved to charging based on size rather than the simple system of sticking on a first or second class stamp in August 2006.
Many customers who put an ordinary stamp on a letter or Christmas card found it was not being delivered as expected.
Subsequently, millions received unexpected warning notices telling them that a letter with underpaid postage would have to be collected from a sorting office.
These customers not only had to cover the underpaid postage, often just a few pence, but they were also hit with a £1 administration charge.
Consumer groups have long suspected that the charge was far too high and amounted to blatant profiteering.
Now figures obtained by the Daily Mail using a Freedom of Information request confirm the organisation did cash in on the confusion created by the change in charging.
The total income from this source rose by 49 per cent in the year after the change came into effect - taking it up to £14.8million in 2007/08 and then £16.5million in 2008/09.
The Royal Mail figures show income from admin fees and underpaid mail rose from £6.9million in 2004/05 to £9.7million in 2005/06, £9.9million in 2006/07, £14.8million in 2007/08 and £16.5million in 2008/09.
The figure dropped to £13.7million in 2009/10, probably because the makers of birthday and Christmas cards have reduced their size to ensure they are now covered by a single first or second class stamp.
Rasmussen Reports: 68 percent Favor Cut in Mail Delivery To Keep Stamp Prices Down - July 14, 2010
[The Financial.]A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49 percent of Adults believe the cost of stamps is already too high, even as the U.S. Postal Service hopes for a two-cent hike in the cost of a first-class stamp in January. Only five percent (5 percent) feel the cost of stamps is too low. Forty-two percent (42 percent) say stamp prices are about right.
Sixty-eight percent (68 percent) would rather see mail delivery cut from six days to five days a week to avoid an increase in stamp prices. Twenty-six percent (26 percent) disagree and are willing to pay more for stamps to hold onto that extra day of delivery. These findings show little change from early February of last year.
But when asked if the Postal Service should cut delivery down to just three days a week to avoid raising stamp prices, only 25 percent of adults are on board. Most (53 percent) would rather the Postal Service keep delivering six days a week and raise the price of stamps.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 9-10, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Two-out-of-three Americans (66 percent) rate the post office's performance as good or excellent. Just eight percent (8 percent) say it's dong a poor job. This high level of approval is consistent with previous surveys, even at Christmas time when the wait for service often makes many Americans unhappy.
Women are more likely than men to think the cost of stamps is too high. But both sexes are equally willing to lose one day of delivery to keep stamp prices down but are not inclined to reduce delivery to three days a week.
Fifty-one percent (51 percent) of entrepreneurs and 48 percent of private company employees feel the cost of a postage stamp is too high, compared to just 38 percent of government employees.
Faced with a $7 billion budget gap, the Postal Service is seeking approval from Congress to increase the cost of a first-class stamp to 46 cents.
In early May of last year, seventy-four percent (74 percent) of Americans said it was at least somewhat likely that the price of a first-class postage stamp will be $1 or more within the next 10 years, including 46 percent who said it’s Very Likely.
Earlier this year, the USPS proposed ending Saturday delivery to reduce its growing budget deficit, and 58 percent of Americans thought that was a good idea.
Half of Americans (50 percent) would rather cut back the number of days mail is delivered than have the federal government subsidize the U.S. Postal Service to maintain its current level of service.
Russian Post In Search Of Investors - July 14, 2010
[Barents Nova.]Referring to the report compiled by the inter-departmental commission and submitted by Russian Minister of Communication to Vladimir Putin for consideration, rbc.ru publishes the intentions of Russian Post (national postal operator) to turn into a joint-stock company (JSC) from its present status of a federal unitary enterprise (FGUP).
The legal form of the postal operator is not attractive for investors; it seriously hinders its development, reads the report.
New JSC form would attract investments from Vnesheconombank and private investors (through development of express mail services, internet purchases, retail, etc). Still the transformation process may take up two years, since that will require relevant adjustments into the law on postal services that currently bans privatization of federal postal assets.
Russian Post being transferred to a new legal form, a Post Bank will also appear in Russia. New federal bank is expected to compete with a Russian banking giant – Sberbank.
So far, Russian Post has 42,000 post offices throughout Russia. Annually, the company processes over 1,4 bln mails, 38 mln parcels and 188 mln money transfers. Mail/parcels delivery charges are regulated by the Gvt, other charges are regulated by the Post independently.
When it comes to the critics of Russian Post, one could say that a mail delivery within Moscow may take 4 days, while Berlin-London mail delivery takes two days. International e-commerce is also troublesome since international delivery of goods may take months to great disappointment of e-bay fans. Besides, no Poste Restante is available in Russia.
Royal Mail Extends Parcel Pick-Up Times With Evening Opening - July 14, 2010
[Press Release.]Royal Mail is adding almost a quarter of a million extra hours a year to the opening times of its busiest delivery offices to make it even easier for people to receive items they have ordered online or from a catalogue.
The £2.6 million investment will see the hours of around 650 delivery offices - almost half of Royal Mail’s UK-wide network of 1,400 sites - extended to 8pm on Wednesday evenings and 2pm on Saturdays to make the collection of items even more convenient for people who are not at home during the day.
Tomorrow (Wednesday 14 July), more than 200 delivery offices will open their doors until 8pm and around 350 offices will join the programme later in the summer. This follows a successful trial at 100 delivery offices in May.
Mike Brown, Royal Mail’s Fulfilment Director, said: "The majority of items ordered online are delivered first time but this investment by Royal Mail will help people who are not at home during the day to receive their item in cases where it is too big to go through the letterbox or needs a signature."
He added: "With online sales continuing to grow, this initiative demonstrates our determination to develop products and services that help both retailers and their customers have greater choice and control over the delivery of items."
The investment in extended opening hours builds on the choices already available to people who are not at home when delivery is attempted. Customers can arrange a redelivery to their home or a neighbour via www.royalmail.com/redelivery or ask for items to be taken to a Post Office® branch, through a service called Local Collect.
Royal Mail Tracked®, a new service recently launched by Royal Mail, also enables retailers to give their shoppers the ability to specify an alternative safe and secure delivery point, such as a porch or neighbour, should they not be at home when delivery was attempted.
David Smith, Managing Director of IMRG, the industry body for online retailing, said: "As a result of the close partnership between Royal Mail and the online retail industry, shoppers now have more control over the delivery of their items than ever before.
"More than half the UK adult population now shops online and this latest initiative provides even greater choice and convenience for them. It will help support even greater satisfaction levels and deliver an even more positive online shopping experience consumers."
Commenting on the extension of Royal Mail opening hours, Clare Gilmartin, MD of eBay UK said: "Flexible delivery options are hugely important to the digital economy as more and more people choose to shop online or via a mobile shopping app for the convenience it provides.
"Online businesses equally rely on dependable and flexible delivery services to maintain a good reputation and retain the loyalty of customers. The majority of the 140,000 businesses that sell via eBay use Royal Mail as their delivery provider and the extended opening hours announced today will be welcomed by the small and medium sized online business community."
Romanian Post Launches Child Reading Campaign - July 19, 2010
DHL Delivers Mercedes-Benz Gullwing Worldwide - July 19, 2010
Review: Royal Mail Is Still Not Delivering Two Years On - July 16, 2010
Iceland Post Launches Message In A Bottle - July 16, 2010
Norwegian Mail Service Fined By ESA - July 15, 2010
Japan Post Workers Seek New Status - July 15, 2010
Rasmussen Reports: 68 percent Favor Cut in Mail Delivery To Keep Stamp Prices Down - July 14, 2010
Russian Post In Search Of Investors - July 14, 2010
