Postal services to be more accessible

LA POSTE wants to make postal services more accessible by opening up more parcel pick-up points and a new network of partner businesses.

Faced with a declining number of customers using its 17,000 current ‘contact points’ – which includes post offices plus counters in mairies and in certain shops – La Poste is looking at expanding relais poste urbains focussed only on simple postal services.

Limited to around a dozen at present, this refers to places like supermarkets, caretakers’ offices or tobacconists, which are open at weekends and evenings and which can offer parcel and letter post services – buying stamps, sending a parcel or recorded delivery letter etc.

La Poste director general Philippe Bajou says they plan to grow this network, with at least 50 more this year.

Also on the cards are more consignes Pick-up station - automatic parcel collection points outside post offices or inside lobbies with accessible opening hours (similar to many banks), such as 6.00 to 22.00.

There are just a handful so far, but it is planned to open around 200 by the end of the year.

The plan comes as La Poste says it expects its traditional post offices to focus more on their banking services. It will employ more banking specialists in its more popular branches and in poorer areas it will create better teams for helping people who have financial difficulties.

Mr Bajou says postal office staff realise that they will need to see themselves mainly as bank workers in the future.

Last year La Poste saw a 18% drop in its net profits and in 10 years numbers visiting a ‘contact point’ on a typical day have dropped from 2.7million to 1.7million.