Press releases
Swiss Post and Austrian Post join forces
Austrian Post and Swiss Post are planning to consolidate their international activities in the field of addressed promotional mailings in a joint venture. This was contractually agreed by the two postal organizations on 15 October 2010. Austrian Post has a 65 percent share in the new company, with Swiss Post holding 35 percent. With this merger, the two postal organizations aim to reposition themselves in the production of direct promotional mailings in Central Europe and exploit opportunities for growth in Eastern Europe. This initiative is in response to structural changes in the sector. As part of the joint venture Swiss Post, with its Swiss Post Solutions unit, intends to grow its core business with electronic solutions at the interface between physical and digital postal services.
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At the beginning of 2011 meiller direct GmbH, which is owned by Austrian Post and based in Schwandorf (Germany), plus its subsidiaries will be merged with the consolidated direct mail activities of Swiss Post Solutions in Bamberg (Germany). The new company, with subsidiaries in the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, France and Sweden, will be owned 65% by Austrian Post and 35% by Swiss Post. This merger sees the creation of a powerful new provider in the European market.
Focusing on personalized promotional mailings
The new company's strategic focus will be on the consultancy, design and production of individualized addressed promotional mailings. In particular, this will include producing direct mail and envelopes, as well as lettershop activities. In future, customers will be able to obtain a comprehensive international range of services from a single source, based on the very latest technology.
Exploiting potential synergies
The planned merger gives both postal organizations the opportunity to place their high-performing business portfolios on a new footing. It will also enable them to tap considerable synergy along the entire value chain, pushing forward with the structural changes that followed the 2009 recession and the slump in the mail-order business. The merger will enable Swiss Post increasingly to focus its Swiss Post Solutions unit on electronic solutions in the near future, therefore growing its core business at the interface of physical and digital postal services.
All the existing production locations of both companies in Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and Russia will continue to operate. Specialization will be implemented at individual locations.
The new company will be jointly managed by its two parent companies. It is to be headed by Stephan Krauss who had been CEO of Prinovis until the end of 2008 and then director of PrinoTec. He will be joined by Chief Financial Officer Bernhard Butz (up until now CFO of Swiss Post Solutions Dialogue Solutions), Dieter Simon (Sales) and Jürgen Kremser (Technology). The transaction is expected to be completed at the end of 2010, subject to the approval of the relevant competition authorities.