Dingdongler

Anybody going to buy some?

dpb

Probably should do

riiidaa

iTrader: (2)

Tell Sid

Boro

iTrader: (1)

If I see Sid, I'll tell him

cster

Is a business model so dependent on delivering unsolicited advertising material viable in the long term, or is it going to go the way of the video shop and other such dinosaurs?
In the age of email, I wonder if the government is doing the equivalent of Branson and his Virgin Megastores?
If it was on Dragons Den, they'd be having a right old laugh.

Dingdongler

Not quite mate.

I'm no expert but a friend compiled a report for a big financial institution about the share offering and the RM business model etc.

It is actually a very viable business, the money is all in the parcel delivery side (given the rise of internet shopping etc)

ReallyReallyGoodMeat

Depends on the price, market cap, etc shirley.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

This ^^^^ It's a good investment IMO!

Not that my lefty leanings will let me buy into some capitalist pig's bright idea

c_maguire

I wouldn't.

I was talking about this recently with our postie, a longterm employee who more or less confirmed what I suspected was the case in most large companies - too many chiefs, not enough indians, poor morale, ill-informed policies from management, stupid team-building courses, endless consultants, grafters propping up the ever increasing number of slackers who never seem to get pulled up for it.
According to him (and he's fairly cogent) he can't remember the last time he delivered a utility bill, which used to be a large part of the business, and but for Amazon they would probably be in some bother.

You only have to pay attention to a lot of their vehicles to get a hint. They don't clean them enough inside or out, many have faded paint on the front and roof like some sh#tty Corsa/Nova, they are not servicing them properly so they not infrequently roll up in rentals, hub caps missing, kerbed wheels etc.
If Royal Mail had some infrastructure such as the railways or the telephone network which other providers need to use then they might be worth a punt. But they don't. And all the profit is in parcels and the urban areas. Let the cherry picking commence in earnest.

c_maguire

Parcels are an open market.
I wonder how much of ParcelForce's business is as a result of brand loyalty as a result of the direct association with Royal Mail. Take that loyalty away by privatising Royal Mail and then what?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Royal Mail have been systematically pricing themselves out fo the market.

It's now dearer to send the same parcel inland as it is to send it to France!

PaulC72

they may be pricey, out of date but even privatised do you think the governement would let them fail? I don't becuase they are the original posting system for the country they carry the royal name etc so I think they would pump money into it until the cows come home, just like the banks ;-)

BLU

iTrader: (27)

The've actually got to float it on the stock exchange before anyone can buy shares Thats going to encounter some stiff public opposition imho.

Dingdongler

There is nothing that the public can do

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

When they privatised the railways, it was said that only 40 people in the UK thought it was a good idea.

Unfortunately, all of them were in John Major's cabinet......

madscoob

iTrader: (3)

parcal side of things is well pricey £11 to send a pair of shoes sold on ebay. it would of been £8.50 using tnt

Chip

Surely if all of the above is correct, which it is not , then there is plenty of reason to buy shares in the RM as all of your points are something that can, and will be addressed by the new management team that will be put in place once privatised.

Dingdongler

Chip, that's exactly what I thought.

Chip

The only thing the public can do is not buy the shares. This will, I imagine not happen though.

c_maguire

Which bits aren't then?
And why would you think any new management team will do anything ultimately positive? As soon as you privatise and shareholders become the prime concern, Royal Mail will be well on its way to rural deliveries every two days, businesses will become priority customers at the expense of private customers etc.

Modern management stinks, because it doesn't manage. It facilitates, or some such garbage.


Buy the shares if you feel that confident.

BLU

iTrader: (27)

You reckon??
I think you'll find that a vote by CWU members says otherwise!!

Results from June 2013

Q1: Do you oppose the privatisation of Royal Mail? YES 96%
Q2: Do you support the boycott of competitors' mail? YES 92%
Q3: Do you support the CWU Pay claim? YES 99%
Q4: Do you support the policy of non-cooperation? YES 92%

Q4 is a result of what you think is not happening with regards to management and low morale etc........ Thats quite a percentage from a 74% turnout imho!

Source http://www.cwu.org/news/archive/ball...atisation.html

Chip

Which goes to show how the posties are being manipulated by the leftie CWU. If you took most of those who voted aside and asked them why they were voting in this way they wouldn't have a clue.

8.6% over 3 years plus bonuses, they should be snapping their hands off.

Privatisation will happen like it or not.

It was the same when British Gas was privatised, the union idiots even claimed gas wouldn't be piped to outlying areas any more. All complete lefty bollocks of course.

hodgy0_2

Being in private hands is absolutely no guarantee that a company will be well run I am afraid

Chip

Of course it's not, but a private firm has pressure from shareholders to perform efficiently. A state owned firm doesn’t have this pressure and so it is easier for them to be inefficient.

BLU

iTrader: (27)

If you speak to a lot of lower grade RM managers I'm sure a fair few will agree with the posties, they're also being put under unreasonable pressure by higher management!! There is even talk of a joint strike with CWU and CMA. That would make things interesting!!
Lower management and the posties have turned the company around despite most of the technology being outdated and unreliable! Perhaps if they stopped focusing on privatisation and started re-investing the profit made (by the staff) RM could continue to run as it is without being a burden on the taxpayer, simples!!

You don't mention any of the unreasonable strings attached to the pay deal either...........

BLU

iTrader: (27)

Maybe it will be forced to run efficiently (it does alredy considering its outdated infrastructure though) but at what cost to workers terms and conditions. As soon as the three year deal expires most of the workforce will be forced to go either part time or on zero/one hour contracts. Hardly good for the economy. Thers a huge chance a foreign buyer will purchase RM meaning a lot of the profits may get taken out of our economy altogether....... its a disaster waiting to happen imho

Chip

Under the direction of the higher management I presume.

BLU

iTrader: (27)

I doubt it. I think you'll find that its the posties and lower managment who pass on their thoughts as to what will and won't work up to higher management who then take all the glory. Thats how businesses of all shapes and sizes work. Anyone who thinks otherwise is as naive as f*ck

BLU

iTrader: (27)

Thats because its been starved of crucial investment by various different governments and seriously bad management over several decades! RM is now playing catch up, hence the sudden increase in prices.
TBH, though, the way they've started to price up parcels is commercial suicide....

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Leaving all the usual accepted SN bollocks of 'private companies are always wonderful, state run outfits are always terrible/the unions are the spawn of the devil' behind the sole reason the RM provatisation will be a good investment is exactly as Ding posted earlier.... Internet shopping is only going to continue to expand and grab more and more of the market as the high street is going into terminal decline partly through shortsightedness and the councils being too stupid to work out that if you charrge astronomic business rates and stupidly high charges to park people will find another way... the net!