Swiss Post International has strengthened its position in the German international mail market witha strategic acquisition and a sales partnership.
The Swiss Post business unit has taken over Global Press Distribution GmbH (GPD), back-datedto January 1, 2008, for an undisclosed sum. GPD, based close to Frankfurt Airport, has a staff of31 and generated sales of CHF 8 million in 2007. GPD provides services connected with theinternational and national dispatch of magazines. Its customers in Germany include publishers,printers, lettershops and other service providers in the publishing industry.
With this acquisition SPI is reinforcing its position in the export press business. TheGerman press market is the biggest in Europe, with 400 newspapers and 200 magazine publications.
Separately, SPI has sealed a sales agreement with primeMail, its 50-50 joint venture withHermes Logistik. As of August 1, the two companies have merged their German sales teams in regionaloffices in order to offer primeMail domestic delivery products and SPI international products.primeMail specialises in the segments of large format and heavy mail, including brochures,publications and product samples.
Dorothe Eickholt, the new SPI Germany managing director, said the sales cooperation wouldgenerate synergies for both companies, while primeMail managing director Christan Bartelheimer saidthe German company would be able to offer its customers a wider product portfolio.
SPI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Swiss Post and currently employs 1,200 people in elevenEuropean countries, five major cities in Asia and in the USA. SPI is now number five on thecross-border letters market after Deutsche Post, United States Postal Service, the UK’s Royal Mailand France’s La Poste.
