2014CORPORATE

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MARKET FLASHA fortnightly newsletter covering the latest news from the global postal sector

Issue 485

8 May 2014

in this issue

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TOP sTORy• Itella’sreportsonsatisfactoryfirst

quarterandannouncesmerger

AmERiCAs• CanadaPostsegmentreportsoperating

lossin2013• CanadaPostlaunchesnewe-Commerce

programmeforsmallbusinesses• Applicationsopenfor2014Canada

PostE-commerceInnovationAwards• UPSstudyrevealsbroaduseof

e-Commerceforindustrialpurchases• WeatherimpactsUPS1Qresults

AsiA PACifiC• DHLcompletesconstructionof

US$50mJapanlogisticshub

EuROPE• EUe-retailsetfor18%growth• FedExExpresstargetsEuropeangrowth

afteradding100stationsin30months• DPDBeluxinvestsinautomation

technologyatdepot• ChairmanofbpostBoardtobereplaced• AmazoninvestsinFrenchdelivery

company• Chronopostpresentsreviewof

InteractiveDelivery• strongperformanceforAnPostin2013• TNTExpressfirst-quarterresultsshow

improvedperformance

• Announcementconversionrateproformafinaloptionaldividend2013

• TNTExpressappointsnewCFO• SolidperformancePostNLinQ12014• GLSNetherlandsupgradesFlexDelivery

withthree-hourtimewindow• Dutchonlinesalesviamobiledevices

morethandoublein2013• PostNord2014AnnualGeneralMeeting• PostNordfirst-quarterresultshighlight

needfortransformation• PostNordpublishesreportonNordic

e-Commerce• SEURseessignsofSpanishupturn• FirstSwissPostLtdGeneralMeeting• Strategicpartnershipbetween

SwissquoteandPostFinance• GeoPosttakesmajoritystakein

Britishcross-borderB2CdeliveryfirmwnDirect

• DPDtolaunchnationwideSundaydeliveriesinUKfromJuly

• DHLSupplyChainwinsUKdistributioncontractwithScania

• UKonlinesalesreachstrongestQ1growthsince2011

• GLSlaunchesFlexDeliveryServiceinPoland

• UKparcelmarketdemandingtwo-hourdeliverywindowasstandard,saysYodel

• CitySprinttrialssame-daydelivery

iTEllA’s REPORTs On sATisfACTORy fiRsT quARTER And AnnOunCEs mERgERItellareleasedtheresultsforthefirstquarterof its2014financialyear.Thecompany stated that the results are satisfactory considering the economicconditions.

ItellaGroup’snetsalesinJanuary-Marchdecreasedby5.2%to€470mduetolowervolumesinmaildelivery,thedeclineofthelogisticsmarketandintensecompetitionaswellascurrencydepreciation.Netsalesdecreasedby7.9%inItellaLogistics,by1.9%inItellaMailCommunications,by10.3%inItellaRussia,andby3.9%inOpusCapita.

The operating result before non-recurring items improved and amounted to€17.6m.Thefirst-quarteroperatingresultdecreasedandamountedto€4.3m,or0.9%ofnetsales.Non-recurringitemsrecognisedduringtheperiodtotalled€13.3m,ofwhich€10.6mwasrelatedtopersonnelrestructuringand€2.7mtootheritems.

Meanwhile,Itella’sBoardofDirectorsapprovedaplanforthemergerofItellaLogisticsOywithItellaPostiOy.Theaimistohavethenewcompanystructurereadyon1January2015.ThechangeispartofItella’snewvisionandstrategy.Theaim is to improvecustomer focusandachievesavings inadministrativecostsbysimplifyingtheGroupstructure.

Source:Itella;Itella

> TOP sTORy

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• CanadaPostsegmentreportsoperatinglossin2013

• CanadaPostlaunchesnewe-Commerceprogrammeforsmallbusinesses

• Applicationsopenfor2014CanadaPostE-commerceInnovationAwards

• UPSstudyrevealsbroaduseofe-Commerceforindustrialpurchases

• WeatherimpactsUPS1Qresults

AmERiCAs CAnAdA POsT sEgmEnT REPORTs OPERATing lOss in 2013The Canada Post segment today reported an operatingloss ofCA$269m for 2013 as TransactionMail volumescontinued to erode, falling 30% per address since theybegantodeclinein2007.

TheCanadaPostGroupofCompaniesreportedanoperatingloss ofCA$193m for2013.These operating losseswerereduced by gains, mostly from the sale of corporate realestate.Asaresultofthesegains,theCanadaPostsegmentreporteda lossbefore taxofCA$125mand theGroupofCompaniesreportedalossbeforetaxofCA$58mfor2013.Theselossesaredrivenbythehistoricshiftfrompapertodigitalcommunications.

ParcelrevenuesincreasedbyCA$93mor7.2%comparedto 2012, and volumes increased by 5m pieces or 2.8%comparedto2012.DomesticParcelsrevenueincreasedbyCA$68mor7.5%andvolumesincreasedby7mpiecesor6.9%. The Parcels growth, though encouraging, was notenough to offset larger declines in Transaction Mail andDirectMarketingvolumes.TransactionMail,whichismostlyletters,billsandstatements,generates50%oftheCanadaPostsegment’srevenue.Asmailerscontinuetoshifttodigitalalternatives,TransactionMailvolumesfellby230mpiecesor5.3%comparedto2012.Reflectingintensecompetition,DirectMarketingrevenuesweredownby2.8%andvolumesweredownby1.5%comparedto2012.

Source:CanadaPost

CAnAdA POsT lAunChEs nEw E-COmmERCE PROgRAmmE fOR smAll businEssEsCanada Post is teaming up with e-Commerce platformproviderstomakeiteasierforsmallbusinessestogoonlineandgrowtheirbusiness.Thenewprogrammewillbeofferedbye-Commercesoftwaresolutionproviderstotheirusers,withincentivesonshippingservicesbyCanadaPost.

The e-Commerce platforms already offer Canada Postshipping services, including shipping labels, rating, andtracking capabilities. By integrating their Canada Postcustomer account into e-Commerce platforms,merchantswill have access to streamlined built-in services such ascreatingandprintingshippinglabels,incorporatingtrackingdirectlyintotheironlinestoresaswellasaccessingthemostconvenient returnprocess in thecountry. Inaddition, theywill qualify for an exclusive incentive offer through theirsoftwareprovider.

Source:CanadaPost

APPliCATiOns OPEn fOR 2014 CAnAdA POsT E-COmmERCE innOvATiOn AwARdsSmall, large, leading and emerging e-Commerce retailersareinvitedagainthisyeartosubmittheirapplicationtothebiggest competition designed to celebrate and promoteCanadian-made e-Commerce ideas and strategies. Thethird annualCanadaPostE-commerce InnovationAwardswillbeheldinTorontoon23September.

The biggest change to the Awards is the introduction of

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AMERICAS• CanadaPostsegmentreports

operatinglossin2013• CanadaPostlaunchesnew

e-Commerceprogrammeforsmallbusinesses

• Applicationsopenfor2014CanadaPostE-commerceInnovationAwards

• UPSstudyrevealsbroaduseofe-Commerceforindustrialpurchases

• WeatherimpactsUPS1Qresults

newcategories.Categoriesdedicatedtomobilestrategies,community outreach, omni-channel integration and morereflectthelateste-Commercebattlegrounds.

Source:CanadaPost

uPs sTudy REvEAls bROAd usE Of E-COmmERCE fOR indusTRiAl PuRChAsEsUPS, a global logistics leader and TNS, a globalmarketresearch expert, surveyed 1,500 industrial suppliespurchasers in the US to gain a deeper understandingof their perceptions in five key areas of the purchasingprocess:researchingandselectingsuppliers;thepurchasetransaction; suppliers’ websites; shipping, delivery andreturns;andpost-salesserviceandsupport.

Accordingtothereport,ashiftisunderwayfordistributorsofindustrialsuppliesandthee-Commerceexperiencetheyprovide to their customers. In 2013, more than 63% ofindustrialsupplybuyerssaidtheymadepurchasesonline.

Thispreferencefore-Commercepurchasesofferspotentialgrowthopportunities fordistributorsof industrial suppliesbyreachingbuyerswhoareusingthewebtoexpandbeyondtheir existing supplier base. Distributors’ e-Commercewebsitesareopeningnewroutesforcustomers,with34%ofsurveyrespondentsclaimingtheymadeonlinepurchasesoutsideoftheirexistingsupplierbaseinthelastyear.

Source:UPS

wEAThER imPACTs uPs 1q REsulTsUPS released its 2014 first-quarter results. OperatingprofitforthequarterwasUS$1.5bn,downUS$106mfromtheprior year’s adjusted results.Unusually harshweatherweighedonoperatingprofitbyapproximatelyUS$200m.Average daily shipments in the US climbed 4.2% drivenprimarilyby largee-Commerceshippersusing lightweightdeferredshippingsolutions.

Forthefirstquarterof2013,UPSreporteddilutedearningspershareofUS$1.08,whichincludesUS$36minafter-taxgainsrelatedtotheattemptedacquisitionofTNTExpress.Forthethreemonthsended31March,UPSgeneratedUS$1.9bninfreecashflow.ThecompanypaiddividendsofUS$596m,up8.1%pershareovertheprioryear,andrepurchased6.8msharesforapproximatelyUS$660m.

USDomesticrevenueincreased2.6%overtheprior-yearperiod to US$8.5bn. Daily volume improved 4.2%, ledbyUPSSurePostandUPSSecondDayAir.ThesegmentgeneratedUS$927m inoperatingprofit, downUS$158mcompared to the prior year. The International segmentrevenue improved 5.0% and produced operating profitofUS$438m.Operatingmarginexpandedto14%drivenby improved network efficiency and in-country leverage.On a reported basis, the segment recorded operatingprofitgrowthof24%more than theprioryear’s resultofUS$352m. Supply Chain and Freight operating profitincreased3.5%toUS$148m.Operatingmarginexpanded30basispointsto6.8%,drivenbygainsintheForwardingandDistributionunits.

Source:UPS

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• DHLcompletesconstructionofUS$50mJapanlogisticshub

dhl COmPlETEs COnsTRuCTiOn Of us$50m JAPAn lOgisTiCs hubDHLSupplyChainhascompletedtheconstructionofamajornewlogisticscentrenearTokyothatwillincreaseitswarehousecapacityinJapanby20%withtheaimtosupportcontinuedbusinessgrowthinthecountry.

Construction work on the new 44,000m² Sagamihara Logistics Centre inSagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo, started a year ago and wascompletedontime,withaninvestmentofJPY5bn(US$50m)tobephasedoverthenexttenyears.

Themulti-userhubfacilitywillbeusedprimarilyfortheconsumerretailindustry,withlabour, resourcesand infrastructuresharedacrossdifferentcustomeroperationstodeliversynergybenefits,whileprovidingcustomerswithgreater flexibilityandscalabilitytomeetdemandfluctuations,DHLexplained.

Source:CEP-Research

AsiA PACifiC

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EUROPE Eu E-RETAil sET fOR 18% gROwThOnline retail growth is expected to exceed 18% this yearinthetopeightEUmarketsand14%intheUS,accordingto research published this week, reinforcing calls thismonth by the UPU’s Postal Operations Council ande-retail representatives for acceleratedefforts to facilitatee-Commercedeliveryamongposts.

The study by The Centre for Retail Research, covering100 online traders and 1,000 shoppers in each countrysurveyed, estimated that online sales – excluding tickets,holidays, gambling and insurance – in France, Germany,Italy, theNetherlands,Poland,Spain,SwedenandtheUKwould reach a combined total of €155.3bn in 2014 andUS$306bn (€224bn) in the US. It found that in 2013,online retailing in the European countries surveyed grewbyaweightedaverageof21.1%to£111.2bn,butpredictedgrowthwould“slackenslightly”in2014to18.1%asseveralofitsmarketsreachedorapproachedmaturity.

These latest e-retail figures come as theUniversalPostalUnion’s (UPU) own Postal Operations Council (POC)adopted a resolution urging the organisation’s relevantgroups “to speed up their work on integrating actions tofacilitate e-Commerce, a critical issue shaping the futureof postal services”. TheUPU said that a lot of work hadalreadybeendoneondevelopinganeffectivemerchandisereturninternationalservice,whichwas“expectedtogolivethisyear,enablinginternationalconsumerstoeasilyreturnmerchandiseorderedonlinefromothercountries”.

Source:CEP-Research

fEdEx ExPREss TARgETs EuROPEAn gROwTh AfTER Adding 100 sTATiOns in 30 mOnThsFedExExpressislookingaheadtofurthergrowthinEuropeafterreachingasignificantmilestoneinitsregionalgrowthprogrammewiththeopeningofits100thnewstationinthepast30months.

Countries in focus under the growth programme, whichhas included acquisitions in France and Poland, includeGermany, the Benelux states, Italy and Spain.More than3,600employeeshavebeenaddedacrossEuropeduringthistime.

Source:CEP-Research

dPd bElux invEsTs in AuTOmATiOn TEChnOlOgy AT dEPOTDPDBeluxwillinvest€2mintheautomationofitsdepotinFlémalle,Belgium,tobecompletedinAprilnextyear.

TheFlémallefacilityisthefirstofthecompany’sfivefacilitiesin Belgium and Luxemburg to be equipped with the newtechnology,inresponsetoDPDBelux’svolumeincreaseof13%lastyearandstronggrowthinthelastfewyears.Thedepot’ssortingspacewillgrowfrom5,000m²to7,000m²andsortingcapacitywill increasefrom10,000parcelsto18,000parcels.

Source:CEP-Research

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EUROPE ChAiRmAn Of bPOsT bOARd TO bE REPlACEdThe Belgian Government decided to grant honourableresignation to bpost’s Chairman of the Executive Board,MartineDurez.Thegovernmentapproved thenominationofFrançoiseMasaiasDurez’sreplacement.MasaiholdsaPhDinLawandadegreeinEconomicLawandwasvicegovernoroftheBelgianNationalBankpriortohernewposition.

Source:bpost

AmAzOn invEsTs in fREnCh dElivERy COmPAnyAmazonisdrivingfurther intothedeliverybusinesswithareportedstakeinaFrenchB2Cdeliveryfirmandexpandedsame-dayservicesinmoreUScities.

Thee-Commercegianthasreportedlyagreedtobuya25%stake in Colis Privé, amid-sized home delivery companyandoneofitsmajordeliverypartnersinFrance.

AccordingtoFrenchonlinepublicationLeJournalduNet,whichfirstreportedthedeal,Amazon’saimispartlytoreduceitsrelianceonFrance’sLaPosteandalsoto“encourage”thepostaloperatortoreducedeliverypricesbythreateningtoswitchvolumestoarivalfirm.

Source:CEP-Research

ChROnOPOsT PREsEnTs REviEw Of inTERACTivE dElivERyA year after Chronopost launched its Interactive Deliveryservice,thecompanyissuedthefirstreviewoftheservice.

In February 2013, Chronopost, Le Groupe La Poste’sdomesticexpresssubsidiary,launchedInteractiveDelivery,aserviceintegratedintotheMyChronosolution.Asaresult,Chronopost became the very first distributor inFrance tooffer an interactive service for rescheduling deliveriesbeforedeliverydriversmaketheircallforthefirsttime.Thenewserviceaimed toboostcustomersatisfactionand thefirst-timedeliverysuccessrate.

The servicewas liked by e-retailers and customers alike.Thenumberofdeliveriesmadefirsttime,themainobjectiveofthesolution,hasincreasedby40%,thankstoemailandSMS notifications sent the day before the deliveries aremadetoonlineshoppers.

Source:GeoPost

sTROng PERfORmAnCE fOR An POsT in 2013Positive progress has strengthened An Post as it facesthechallengesahead.AnPostcontinued to focusoncostcontainment, productivity and efficiency improvementalongside strategic investment in revenue-generatingbusinessstreamsacrossletters,parcel,retailandfinancialservicesandGroupCompanies.

AnPostGroup’sturnoverwas€811.7m,anincreaseonthe2012figureof€807.3masaresultoftheCompany’sfocusongrowingrevenueacrosstheGroup’sactivities.Thegrouphadanoperating lossof€11.4mbeforeexceptional items.Thisrepresentsasolidimprovementonthepreviousyear’soperating loss of€17.5m.An exceptional credit of€17.1mresultedinanoverallgroupoperatingprofitof€5.7mandaprofitaftertaxof€5.9m.

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EUROPETherecordgrowthof22%incontractparcelsandpacketvolume was mostly driven by online shopping. Whiletraditional mail volume continued to fall, at 2% (5% in2012), thisdeclinewasataslowerpace than inpreviousyears. Overall, traditional mail volume has declined byalmost30%sincethe2007peak.

Source:AnPost

TnT ExPREss fiRsT-quARTER REsulTs shOw imPROvEd PERfORmAnCETNT Express published its results for the first quarter ofthe 2014 financial year. The figures show an improvedperformance.

The company’s reported operating income over the firstquarterwas€17m,whilereportedrevenuesweredownby6.6% to€1.61bn. It reported a higher adjusted operatingincomeat€51m,upfrom€21mduringthesameperiodthepreviousyear.Adjustedrevenueswere€1.67bn,downyearonyearby2.8%.TNTExpressstatedthatrevenueswerelower due to negative foreign exchange movements, thedisposalChinaDomesticandcontractpruning.

At the regional level, results were substantially better inEurope Main and Europe Other & Americas, AMEA andBrazilregions,whilethePacificregionwasunderpressure.TNT Express’s Outlook strategy remains on track, with€30mofsavingsachievedinthefirstquarter.

Source:TNTExpress

AnnOunCEmEnT COnvERsiOn RATE PRO fORmA finAl OPTiOnAl dividEnd 2013On9April2014,TNTExpressdeclaredaproformafinaloptional dividend of €0.024 per ordinary share. Thedividend is payable, at the shareholder’s election, eitherwholly in ordinary shares orwholly in cash. Thedividendwillbepayableasfrom12May2014.

Source:TNTExpress

TnT ExPREss APPOinTs nEw CfOTNTExpressannouncedthatMaartenJandeVrieswilljointhecompanyasChiefFinancialOfficer(CFO)andmemberof the Executive Board, pending shareholder approval.MaartenwilltakeoverasCFOon1July2014.Priortothis,heheldvariousrolesinRoyalPhilipsatGroupManagementCommitteelevel,includingChiefInformationOfficer,ChiefSupplyOfficeranddivisionalCFO.

Source:TNTExpress

sOlid PERfORmAnCE POsTnl in q1 2014PostNL reported a solid first-quarter performance, withrevenue flat at €1.03bn. Underlying operating incomeincreased to€103m,compared to€81mduring thesameperiodthepreviousyear.Underlyingcashincomeincreasedyearonyearto€77m,upfrom€23min2013.

The company reported that the domestic addressed mailvolumedeclinedby11.5%,butthatdeliveryqualitycontinuedtoimproveat97.0%.Theparcelsvolumegrewby5.3%.

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EUROPEThe post was able to implement strong cost savings of€41msupportedbysmoothimplementationofthefive-daysdeliverymodelandaleaneroverheadstructureinMailintheNetherlands.

Source:PostNL

gls nEThERlAnds uPgRAdEs flExdElivERy wiTh ThREE-hOuR TimE windOwGLSNetherlandshasenhancedtheFlexDeliveryserviceitintroducedlastFebruary,whichwillnowofferathree-hourtimewindow to customers that opt to choose their homedeliverydatethemselves.

FlexDeliveryaimstooffercustomersthefreedomtochoosewhereandwhentheywouldliketheirparcelstobedelivered,informing customers prior to dispatch about the planneddelivery day in order to improve first-time delivery rates.Theconsumercanthenalsochoosetheoptiontoredirecttheparcelandhaveitdeliveredtooneofaround470GLSparcelshopsintheNetherlands.

Alternatively,therecipientcanchooseanewhomedeliverydate–anoptionthatGLSNetherlandshasnowenhanced.In addition to offering any possible date desired by thecustomer,itwillnowofferadeliverytimewindownarrowedtothreehours,nationwide.

Source:CEP-Research

duTCh OnlinE sAlEs viA mObilE dEviCEs mORE ThAn dOublE in 2013Dutch online sales generated through smartphones andtabletsmorethandoubledto€1.3bnin2013from€560min 2012, according to the 2013-2M-commerceMonitor,a six-monthly research into mobile consumer spendingconducted by Blauw Research, in cooperation with thenationale-CommerceassociationThuiswinkel.org.

The e-Commerce association explained that the strongincrease inmobile spending is partly due to the fact thatincreasingly more people shop via their smartphones ortablets,withthenumberof‘mobile’shoppersincreasingto2.7mduringthesecondhalfof2013,whichisalmosttwiceasmuchasayearbefore.

In termsofpreferredmobiledevice,mostpurchaseshavebeenmadethroughtablets,withsevenoutoftenconsumers.Almost75%ofthemobilesalesweregeneratedviatablets(€532m).Dutchshoppersusetabletspreferablyathome,often as an alternative to laptops. Nearly all (96%) ofmobile buyers who made their last order on this devicedidsofromtheirhome.Smartphonesaremoreoftenusedoutsidehome,e.g.enrouteoratworkformobileshopping(37%).

Source:CEP-Research

POsTnORd 2014 AnnuAl gEnERAl mEETingOn23April,PostNordhelditsannualgeneralmeeting.TheAGMre-electedJensMobergasChairmanoftheBoard.TheAGMalsoresolvedtodistributeadividendofSEK0.0644

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EUROPEpershare–foratotalofSEK128.8m–toshareholders,andtoadoptfinancialtargets.

In his speech to the AGM, PostNord President & GroupCEO Håkan Ericsson reported on subjects including thegroup’s situation and priorities going forward. He alsostated that, when the group’s prioritieswere subject to athoroughreview,itbecameincreasinglyclearthatPostNordhad a less-than-optimal operational model. As a result,thereweresomesub-optimisationsandthegroupwasnotmeetingitscustomerswithanintegratedoffer.Accordingly,a new organisational structure was introduced as of 31March, with country units responsible for production andsales in each country. Product and service ownershipwas also placed with two new business areas: Mail &Communication andLogistics.Thebusiness areaswill beresponsible fordevelopingandpackagingattractiveoffersforallofthegroup’sbusinesses.Astrategiccorporateunitfore-Commercewassimultaneouslyestablishedtoincreasefocusandconcentrateeffortson thegroup’soffer for thisgrowtharea.

Source:PostNord

POsTnORd fiRsT-quARTER REsulTs highlighT nEEd fOR TRAnsfORmATiOnPostNordreleaseditsinterimreportfortheJanuary-Marchperiod.PostNordreporteda loweryear-on-yearoperatingprofit due to the restructuring costs associated with thepersonnel cut-backs made in conjunction with the neworganisation, the continued decline in mail volumes andincreased price pressure, particularly within the logistics

business. PostNord continues to implement the costreduction and efficiency measures required to achievesatisfactoryprofitabilitywithinthegroup.

PostNordGroup’s net sales totalledSEK10bn, a year-on-yearincreaseof2%.Theincreaseisattributablemainlytoacquisitionswithin the logisticsbusiness.Themailmarketcontinued to shrink due to digitisation. Group operatingprofitdeclinedduringthequarter,totallingSEK106m.Thedecrease was primarily attributable to restructuring costsbutalso to thebusinessareas’ lowerunderlyingoperatingprofit,whichwaslargelyaresultofthesubstantialdeclinein mail volumes and continued price pressure within thelogisticsbusiness.

HåkanEricsson,PresidentandCEOofPostNord,statedthatprofitability remains at an unsatisfactory level throughouttheentirebusinessandthatthecompanyisfullyfocusedonimplementingitsstrategytoimproveitsearningcapacityandcreategreaterfinancialvalue.ThecompanyimplementedaneworganisationalstructureinearlyFebruary,withcountryunits responsible foreachcountry’sproductionandsales.Productandserviceownershipwassimultaneouslyplacedwith two new business areas – Mail & CommunicationandLogistics–whichare responsible fordevelopingandpackagingattractiveoffersforallofthegroup’sbusinesses.

Source:PostNord

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EUROPE POsTnORd PublishEs REPORT On nORdiC E-COmmERCEE-CommerceisimportantinNordiccountriesaccordingtothePostNordreport,‘E-commerceintheNordicsQ12014’.Duringthefirstquarterthisyear,sevenintenNordicresidentsboughtgoodsonlineforatotalvalueofaboutSEK44.2bn.Ofthisamount,consumersestimatethataroundSEK10.1bnwasgeneratedfrome-Commerceconductedwithsitestheyconsider foreign. The strong growth of e-Commerce wasalsoevidentfromparcelvolumes:PostNord’se-Commerce-relatedB2Cparcelvolumes increasedby 15%in the firstquarteroftheyear.

Delivery preferences for goods purchased online differbetween countries and based on the type of goodspurchased,althoughletterboxdeliveryisgenerallythemostpopulardeliveryalternativeinallNordiccountriesexceptforFinland,wherethepreferenceistopickupgoodspurchasedonlineatapartneroutlet.InterestinhomedeliveriesisfairlylowinotherNordiccountries,wheremorepeopleprefertopickuptheirparcelsatapartneroutletatatimethatsuitsthem.

The report also concluded that 33% of Nordic-regione-Commerce mail items during the period came fromforeigncountries,accordingtoconsumerestimates.WhenNordicresidentsshoponlinefromforeignsites,theyprefersitesfromGreatBritain.Clothing,books,homeelectronics,andcosmetics,skinandhairproductsarethefourproductcategoriesfromwhichNordicconsumersboughtthemostproductsonlineduringthefirstquarter.

Source:PostNord

sEuR sEEs signs Of sPAnish uPTuRnLeading Spanish parcels company SEUR believes thecountry’seconomyachievedslightgrowthinthefirstquarterof this year and is continuing to focus on internationalbusinessandB2Cdeliveriesasitsmaingrowthareas.

Thecompany’sEconomicActivityIndicatorsuggestedthatSpanishGDPgrewby0.4%inthefirstquarterofthisyearcompared toQ1 2013, confirming the signs of economicrecoveryshowninthesecondhalfoflastyear.

The parcel company is hoping for growth again this yearafterseeingitsrevenueslargelystagnateinrecentyears.In2013,revenuesrosebyafractional0.4%to€537m.

Source:CEP-Research

fiRsT swiss POsT lTd gEnERAl mEETingThefirstGeneralMeetingofSwissPostLtd,incorporatedin 2013, took place today inBerne. As sole shareholder,the Confederation approved the 2013 annual financialstatementsoftheGroupandadividendtotallingCHF180m,and granted discharge to the members of the Board ofDirectors.

In its capacity as sole shareholder, the Confederation– represented by the Director of the Federal FinanceAdministration, Serge Gaillard – approved all proposalsmadebytheBoardofDirectorsatSwissPost’sfirstGeneralMeeting as a public limited company held inBerne.Withoperating income of CHF8.58bn and Group profit ofCHF626m, the financialstatementsaswellas theannualreport for the 2013 financial year were adopted. The

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EUROPEdividendofCHF180mfrancstotheConfederationwasalsoapproved.

The Confederation also confirmed renewal of office forcurrentBoardmembersandtheappointmentofDrMyriamMeyerandNadjaLangtotheBoardofDirectors.TheytakeoverfromthepreviousmembersDominiqueFreymondandNicolaThibaudeau.

Source:SwissPost

sTRATEgiC PARTnERshiP bETwEEn swissquOTE And POsTfinAnCESwissquote and PostFinance are establishing a long-term strategic partnership in online trading. Swissquotewill operate as a trading platform for PostFinance fromautumn 2015, handling stock exchange orders placedby PostFinance customers in e-trading. According to thepartnershipagreement,PostFinancewillalsoacquirea5%equity investment in the capital of Swissquote. They willcontinue to appear on themarket separately and to offertheirownrangeofservices.

Source:SwissPost

gEOPOsT TAKEs mAJORiTy sTAKE in bRiTish CROss-bORdER b2C dElivERy fiRm wndiRECTGeoPosthasacquiredmajorityownershipofBritishcross-borderB2C delivery firmwnDirect and is investing freshcapitalforitsinternationalexpansion.

GeoPost UK, which already had a minority stake in the

firm, will own 57% of wnDirect after buying part of thefounders’ existing shareholding, all of the shareholdingpreviously owned by delivery management technologyproviderMetaPackandbyinjectinganadditionalsignificantinvestmenttobringsomeworkingcapitalintothebusiness.

ThenewinvestmentwillenablewnDirecttofurtherexpandthescaleofitse-commerceoffering,whichiscurrentlyusedbyanumberofmajorUKe-tailers.Thefirmisplanningtoopen a series of processing centres throughout theworldwhichwillbring thewnDirectproductandexpertise toanincreasednumberofretailers.wnDirectalsohasanumberof innovative solutions in the pipeline and this investmentwillenableittoinnovateatafasterpace.

Source:CEP-Research

dPd TO lAunCh nATiOnwidE sundAy dElivERiEs in uK fROm JulyDPDaimstobecomethefirstparcelcompanytoofferdailydeliveriesintheUKbylaunchingafullnationwideSundayserviceinJulyaspartofitsongoingexpansionstrategy.

RivalHermesannouncedinFebruarythatitwouldbethefirsthomedeliverycompanyinBritaintoofferanationwideyear-roundseven-day-a-weekservicewiththestartofaSundaydeliveryservice for retail industrycustomers.Thisservicehas not yet started, however. Amazon already launchedSundaydeliveries insevenUKcitiesearlier thisyearwithvariousdeliverypartners,reportedlyincludingYodel.

Source:CEP-Research

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EUROPE dhl suPPly ChAin wins uK disTRibuTiOn COnTRACT wiTh sCAniADHL Supply Chain has won a three-year contract withvehiclemanufacturerScaniaforthedistributionofitsafter-marketpartstomorethan100ofitsnetworkservicecentresacrosstheUKandNorthernIreland.

Throughitsafter-marketdistributionplatformAutoAlliance,DHLwillshipScania’spartsovernightfordeliverythenextworking day. DHL said Scania had chosen the specialistafter-market platform in order to benefit from enhancedservice, cost reduction and the environmental benefits itbrings.Orderscannowbeplacedas lateas7.30PMforguaranteeddeliverybefore8AM.

Source:CEP-Research

uK OnlinE sAlEs REACh sTROngEsT q1 gROwTh sinCE 2011Britishonlinesalesincreasedby17%duringthefirstquarterofthisyear,whichrepresentsthestrongestQ1growthsince2011, according to the latest monthly IMRG Capgeminie-RetailSalesIndexforMarch2014.

Over the first three months of 2014, Britons spent over£23bnonline,up17%fromthefirstquarterof2013,whichisinlinewiththegrowthforecastforthisyearbyIMRG,theUK’se-Commerceassociation,andCapgemini.Thegrowthevensurpassed lastmonth’se-retail year-on-year increaseof16%.Themonth-on-monthgrowthamountedto8%.

IMRGsaidthestrongQ1salessupportthecurrentstability

ofthee-retailsectorintheUKshowingstrongdouble-digitgrowthratesoverthelastfewmonths.

Source:CEP-Research

gls lAunChEs flExdElivERysERviCE in POlAndGLS has introduced its FlexDeliveryService, offeringcustomers more flexible delivery options, in Poland, thetenthmarketinEuropewheretheserviceisavailable.

With the FlexDeliveryService, consumers are informedin time of imminent parcel deliveries, which GLS gearsaccording to their requirements. The service is primarilytargetedate-retailersandonlineshoppers.

TheRoyalMailparcelssubsidiaryfirstlaunchedtheservicein Germany in 2012 and then introduced it last year inthe Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Romania,Slovenia and Slovakia. The Czech subsidiary followedsuit in February 2014, and GLS Poland now also offerstheservice.The introduction inFrance, the 11thcountry, isalreadyinpreparation.

Source:CEP-Research

uK PARCEl mARKET dEmAnding TwO-hOuR dElivERy windOw As sTAndARd, sAys yOdElParcelcustomersincreasinglyexpectdeliverywindowsandnotificationsonstandardparcels,accordingtotheheadoftheUK’slargestprivatelyownedproviderYodel,whichissettolaunchatwo-hourindicationoftheexpecteddeliverytimeforitsstandardproductthisyear.

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EUROPEExecutivechairmanDickStead toldCEP-Research that inthe past few years, e-retailers had been content to offerbasic day-definite delivery to customers opting for freedeliverywhenmakingonlinepurchases,although thiswasbecomingincreasinglyunacceptableascustomersbecamemoreandmoreusedtodelivery-windownotifications.

Source:CEP-Research

CiTysPRinT TRiAls sAmE-dAy dElivERyUK courier firm CitySprint partnered with the ChurchillSquareShoppingCentreinBrightonandHove,SouthEastEngland,trialledanewsame-daydeliveryservice‘StoretoDoor’whichoffersvisitorsasimpleandconvenientwaytoget theirpurchaseshomewithouthaving tocarry themalltheway.

Thetwo-weektrialranfrom10Aprilto21April,withcourierscoveringcustomersinaten-mileradius.

Source:CEP-Research

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