Poste Italiane improved its net profits by 5% in 2008 and recorded its seventh consecutive year inprofit. The postal operator is now assisting in aid efforts following the devastating earthquakes
in central Italy.The Italian postal operator increased turnover by 3.9% to €17.9 billion last year, withgrowth in revenues for financial services (+ 2%) and insurance services (+7.7%) but a small drop of0.8% in mail revenues. The operating profit declined to €1.5 billion from €1.8 billion in 2007, butthe net profit improved by 4.6% to €882.6 million.
Poste Italiane said that it increased investment by 17% to €712 million last year. About halfwas spent on Information & Communication Technology (ICT) while the delivery sector wasreorganised.
“Once again in 2008 our profits are on the rise and we have consolidated the excellentresults achieved over the last few years,” declared managing director Massimo Sarmi. “These resultsbear out the validity of our strategic choices, aimed at guaranteeing continually-improving qualitylevels; they encourage us to continue to focus on innovation in terms of both services andproducts, so as to enable us to offer our clients cutting-edge solutions that are increasingly ableto predict and to satisfy the ever-changing needs of the public.”
Separately, Poste Italiane has teamed up with 3M Italia to launch a new e-commerce portalunder the 3Mshop.it address. The 3M group is the first large international merchant in Italy torely on Poste Italiane’s expertise in e-commerce, the company said. E-commerce in Italy was worth€4.9 billion in 2007, a 42% increase on the previous year, according to research published lastyear.
* Poste Italiane is supporting the aid efforts following the earthquakes in Abruzzo, centralItaly. It has sent five trucks to deliver thousands of tents for the estimated 17,000 people madehomeless by the quakes. In addition, it is setting up 10 mobile post offices in various towns inthe province. Only 53 of the 547 post offices in the region have been closed as a result of damagedue to the earthquakes. The postal operator said it is assisting authorities in the restoration ofoffices and logistics facilities and has set up bank accounts for donations to assist victims.
