La Poste parcels and express turn in solid first-half year p

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Express division sees turnover rise 8.5%



The French post office’s parcels and express divisions, posted a consolidated operating income of €206 million for the first half of 2011on a turnover of €2.5bn, up 6.5% on a like-for-like basis when compared to the first six months of last year.

Express division, GeoPost, whose main component is Chronopost, saw its turnover rise 8.5% to €1.77bn, largely due to traffic volumes rising 6.5%. Parcel division Coliposte, increased it turnover by 5.3% to €734 million.

Following an increase in its capital earlier this year, totalling €2.7 billion, which was underwritten by the French state and public sector investment bank, Caisse des Depôts, La Poste says it is now in a position “to pursue a more solid and dynamic development programme.”

The parcels and express divisions were one of the main beneficiaries of a total of €470 million devoted to industrial and commercial investment in the first half of 2011, largely in the form of the construction of new depots and hub facilities.

External growth during the period saw GeoPost take control of South-Africa-based DPD Laser Express Logistics which it had previously jointly owned with The Laser Group (Pty).

DPD Laser transports around 6,000 tonnes of express freight on a monthly basis and employs over 1,600 staff.

GeoPost has set its sights on becoming the world’s 5th largest integrator behind DHL, TNT, FedEx and UPS under the Direct Parcel Distribution (DPD) brand.

Earlier this summer, DPD extended its network in Russia with the opening of a depot in Pyatigorsk, in the south-west of the country and representative offices in the Vologda region, north of Moscow and Murmansk, in the north-west.