TNT and major German publishing group Georg von Holtzbrinck are in talks over a possiblepartnership in the German mail market.
The Financial Times Deutschland reported that Holtzbrinck has offered TNT a 50% stake in PinBerlin and 25% holdings in its other mail subsidiaries. The publisher had bought Pin Berlin, thelargest business within the insolvent Pin Group network, eight regional mail firms and a stake inanother regional operator last autumn.
Holtzbrinck, Springer and other publishing groups originally merged their delivery businessesinto the Pin Group to compete with Deutsche Post in the liberalised mail market. Following thecollapse of the Pin Group at the end of 2007 and in early 2008, various regional companies weresold back to their original owners.
In response, the Dutch group yesterday issued a short statement confirming reports about apossible distribution partnership. “Although there is still no level playing field in the Germanpostal market, due to the ongoing uncertainties regarding minimum wage and VAT, TNT remainsinterested to strengthen its current position as the leading alternative provider of mail servicesin Germany,” it stated.
“TNT Post has been operating on the German postal market for almost ten years. Besidesbuilding up its own distribution networks in key economic areas, TNT Post has focused on building anationwide distribution network. This has been done via partners and acquiring shares in severaldistribution companies.”
TNT Post Germany covers about 90% of German households. TNT has postponed further investmentin the company, which remains loss-making, pending the outcome of the minimum wage and VAT issues.
