Amazon UK sacks Royal Mail following potential postal strikes fear
- Date: Oct 7,2009
Internet retailer Amazon.co.uk has dropped Royal Mail has it’s preferred delivery partner for medium size parcels, following fears that postal strikes may harm it’s business and affect customers.
The contract to Royal Mail is estimated to be worth in the region of £25M and Amazon UK is thought to be Royal Mail’s second biggest customer. Home Delivery Network are rumoured to have taken over the contract to now deliver parcels from Amazon.
News of the loss of such a huge client will deal a big blow to Royal Mail who are trying to re-organise their business, amid postal strikes and further postal disruption.
Other online businesses may too be looking elsewhere if the proposed postal strikes go ahead, and already 24 hour strikes are planned at delivery centres in big cities such as Bristol, London, Leeds and Nottingham.
Amazon have since denied that they’ve dropped the contract with Royal Mail, following the news on ITV’s News at Ten and also featuring in The Guardian. A spokesperson for amazon said “We have not cancelled any long-term contracts with the Royal Mail. They continue to be one of a number of carriers we use,” But it added that Amazon were making contingency plans with other carriers should a postal strike happen in the near future.
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2 Responses for "Amazon UK sacks Royal Mail following potential postal strikes fear"
[...] earlier mentioned, Amazon UK have been looking at contingency plans should a strike take place although they have [...]
That’s all very well for companies as big as Amazon – they have alternative options. For small internet retailers, there is NO viable option to the Royal Mail. All the private carriers eg DHL, charge at least 3 times as much as RM to send small packets. Does anyone actually believe customers will be prepared to pay £8+ for postage for a pair of socks? Because that is exactly what it would cost by anyone other than RM.
Stop thinking there is an alternative to Royal Mail’s service. There isn’t. Companies like mine are not catered for by other carriers – and no-one – Royal Mail managers, workers, MP’s government ministers – private carriers – seem to know companies like ours exist! Cetainly no-one is talking to us – yet we are the fastest growing retail sector in the country – and are being ignored.
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