2008 annual report norway post 2008 Key fIguRes Contents Key figures 2008 In 2008 Norway Post had a facelift and the green Norway Post grouP 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 Bring brand was launched in Scandinavia. But it operating revenues (MnoK) 28 663 26 810 23 273 19 995 17 959 EBIT (MNOK) 361 1 080 1 313 1 155 1 257 is the people behind the brand that provide its government procurements (MnoK) 326 316 Share of revenue from licensed area 12,5 % 13,1 % 15,0 % 18,3 % 20,8 % Revenues from foreign subsidiaries (MnoK) 7 428 6 240 4 153 1 727 1 443 content. Our employees live to deliver and find Total parcel volume Posten Norge AS (million) 35,0 32,1 30,7 31,3 29,2 total letter volume Posten norge As (million) 2 598 2 687 2 752 2 654 2 586 new ways. Together we are stronger as we move Development A and B mail (0,7 %) (0,3 %) (0,8 %) (5,8 %) (7,0 %) Delivery quality A-priority mail (% delivered overnight) 87,1 % 85,1 % 82,4 % 86,7 % 87,5 % Machine-sorted, small letters 84 % 80 % 80 % 82 % 81 % forward into the future. Dag Mejdell, CEO Machine-sorted, all letters 70 % 66 % 64 % 61 % 59 % Employees (full-time equivalents) as at 31 December 25 851 24 870 22 272 20 541 21 373 no. of sales outlets (post offices/Post in shops) 1 479 1 487 1 501 1 523 1 529 Customer satisfaction with the sales network (points, max. 100) 84 83 83 81 80 norway Post’s reputation, % with a «good Impression» (MMI) 55 % 54 % 59 % 56 % 50 % Contents 01 02 03 04 Chief executive officer's report 4 Report of the Board of Directors 12 Mail segment 36 Corporate governance 48 Business concept, vision and goals 6 Key financial figures 30 Logistics segment 40 Market report 52 organisation 8 Income statement 31 It segment 44 environmental report 56 Balance sheet 32 Hse report 60 Cash flow statement 33 statement of changes in equity 34 notes to the accounts 64 Auditor's report 124 1 01 highlights highlights Historic milestones Important events in 2008 Future events 1647 The Danish governor in Norway, Hannibal January April July October 2009 Sehested, establishes the postal service. Early in January is made known that all Competition for Scandinavia heats up. It Norway Post makes changes to post town In the proposed national budget for 2009 April: Bring Express, Bring Logistics and PNL will Christmas mail had arrived on time. This becomes known that Posten Sweden and names and postal codes. 4200 households no funds are allocated for state purchases open a new shared terminal and warehouse in Co- 1719 The state assumes responsibility for Postverket. meant that quality was far better than Post Denmark have signed a Letter of and 440 companies receive a new postal of unprofitable postal services. penhagen. previous Christmas. Intent to merge. address in 2008. Such changes are carried 1854 Norway Post is involved in establishing the first out once a year. August: Bring is to arrange «Dialogkonferansen» railway line from Christiania to Eidsvoll. The Rail Trans- 2008 will be a year of environmental focus CityMail is expanding in Sweden, and Norway November 2008 in Strömstad. port Law of 1848 states that mail should be carried by in many areas, and one of the measures is Post now covers more households in Swe- August Norway Post and Postkom agree to relo- train and that postal stations should be located in train to transport more goods via the railway den than in Norway. Over 220 Norway Post employees have cate eight distribution units to the South September: ErgoGroup is to arrange its 2009 IT stations. network. completed New Basic Training – and the Eastern Norway terminal at Robsrud which conference in Tønsberg. A Scandinavian website for all employees in programme is bearing fruit. It has been is to open in 2010. 1855 The first Norwegian stamp is issued. the Group is launched, known as Infolink. found that the employees who have had Bring Logistics is to arrange its «Load» conference February such training have become even better at in Oslo. 1871 A new Postal Services Act introduces a simplified The Government gives its approval for Nor- their jobs. December price system with a domestic postage rate, post boxes way Post to reorganise its sales network. May The Group prepares for a major reorganisa- November: Bring Express will take delivery of new at post offices and mailboxes at the addressees' doors. This means that 124 Post offices will be The Owner's Statement is discussed by tion of various IT systems at the beginning environmentally-friendly vehicles. converted to Post in Shops. Approximately Parliament. Parliament is satisfied with September of 2009. Over the next two years a compre- 1903 The first franking machine was put into use. It 650 employees in the Sales and service developments in Norway Post and the The Group launches Bring and the new Nor- hensive IT upgrade programme will result in December: Employees of Bring Logistics and Norway was a Norwegian invention. network will be affected by the changes. Scandinavian strategy, but sections of the way Post logo. Together they will represent better interaction between different parts Post are to have completed their Environmentally Conservative party want privatisation and two distinct brands. Bring is for the Scandi- of the Group. Friendly Driving Licence. 1952 New Mailbox Act stipulates that every household All subsidiaries are to have the same green full competition. navia corporate market and Norway Post is should have a mailbox. coloured profile, with the exception of the for the private market in Norway. The Norwegian Parliament decides that the IT subsidiary ErgoGroup. Norway Post within «No thank-you» arrangement for unaddres- 2010: 1968 Postcodes introduced for handling large volumes Norway will continue to be red. June The new manager of the Distribution sed direct mail advertising is to continue. January: New central third-party warehouse for of post. Norway Post is to sell terminals to be able network, Tore K. Nilsen, states that the divi- Eastern Norway opens in Berger outside Oslo. to free up capital that can be used for sion is to be reorganised into eight regions. 1995 Statens Datasentral (SDS) is bought by Norway March further growth. The premises that are February: New South Eastern Norway terminal for Post, merged with Norway Post's Datasentral and The Spinnaker project is launched. This is a sold will be leased back, and operations will letters opens at Robsrud outside Oslo. renamed Posten SDS (now ErgoGroup). profitability programme designed to reduce continue as before. costs and increase revenues, so that the November: Conversion of 124 Post offices to Post in 2000 Norway Post's plans for reorganisation of post Group is better equipped to meet future Shops completed. offices to in-store post offices is approved by the challenges. Norwegian Parliament. 2011: 2002 The Norwegian parliament converts Norway Post January: Liberalisation of the letter market in the EU. into a limited company on 1 July: Posten Norge AS. 2 3 01 Chief exeCutive OffiCer Chief exeCutive OffiCer Proud of the new look group CeO Dag Mejdell could finally reveal the new brand on 5 september. the relationship between the traditional Posten and Nordic Bring could be seen immediately. TogeTher. Posten and Bring are really two sides of the same coin. The more than NOK 1.2 billion in 2008 and made up 26 per cent of the Group’s red Posten is there for the Norwegian people, as it has been for more than revenue. 360 years. The new brand Bring shows the entire range of the Norway Post «This share is rising steadily,» adds Mejdell. Group’s products and services for companies in the Nordic region. There will be more acquisitions if there are good companies which fit «It was a great pleasure to be able to show the two brands together. This in with the Nordic focus. Norway Post has ensured long-term financing by shows the entire breadth in our postal and logistics services. Now it’s much raising new loans for NOK 3 billion in 2008. simpler for customers to see what we can do for them. That wasn’t so easy «It’s cheaper to buy companies now than it was a year ago, but the focus to explain when we had around 20 brands. So the time was ripe to tidy in 2009 will be on steering the Group through a year that will be strongly things up and gather together under one common brand aimed at corpo- affected by the financial crisis,» says Mejdell. rate customers,» says Mejdell. The fall in volumes and pressure on prices will put pressure on margins. The demand for CompeTiTive abiliTy. The result of the com- outsourcing services such as warehousing and pany’s acquisitions was a number of different IT operations may, however, increase. brands which were not associated with Nor- «The greatest challenges will come from way Post. This concealed Norway Post’s overall e-mail and electronic alternatives to traditional breadth and range of services. letter and banking products. The fact that the «We now have much more impact than be- EU letter market will be liberalised in 2011 and fore, and our customers can see the coherence competitors will gain access to Norway will in what we do. The same has happened within 40% intensify these challenges,» states Mejdell. the Group. The launch of Bring has triggered Did you know that... Around 40 percent of the energy and enthusiasm among the employees.