News Focus: Post - Mailers' options open up

Direct Response 13-Oct-05

Postal regulator Postcomm and consumer watchdog Postwatch are advising small- and medium-sized mailers to consider alternatives to Royal Mail in the run-up to the UK mail delivery market being opened to full competition in January.

Peter Carr, chairman of Postwatch, said: "Postwatch and Postcomm are
telling large mailers to visit the Postcomm website, get the list of
competitors and make the calls. We want them to make an informed

choice."

Carr added: "You don't have to be a household name with millions of
customers to offer choice. There are thousands of small- and
medium-sized businesses that could choose to use another operator and be
offered a better service, better prices or both."

Postcomm and Postwatch have said they expect mailers to see better
prices and services as a result of the opened market.

Nigel Stapleton, chairman of Postcomm, said: "Opening the mail market to
competition will create a more vibrant postal market in the UK. It will
introduce choice to a market that has been a monopoly for 350
years."

The move comes as Royal Mail reported that it exceeded target levels in
virtually all mailing categories - including the various bulk mail
services - in the second quarter of the year. The performance targets
were tied to mail arriving on time.

"These latest results underline Royal Mail's determination to improve
quality of service," said Adam Croazier, Royal Mail's chief executive.