Swiss Post and the French La Poste formed an alliance of their respective international mail activities on 6 July, for which they have received all required regulatory approvals. The partners had announced their intention to establish the joint venture in December 2011. They are launching “Asendia by La Poste and Swiss Post”, a joint venture company equally owned by both partners that aims to become the leader in B2C solutions for international mail.
Asendia brings together the expertise and networks of the existing international mail activities of Swiss Post (Swiss Post International) and La Poste (La Poste Global Mail). With over 1,000 employees, Asendia is currently present on three continents: Europe, North America and Asia, and in over 25 locations in 15 countries.
With a turnover of more than EUR 400 million, Asendia says it is positioned from the outset as one of the global leaders in international mail, a market with estimated revenues of more than EUR 10 billion in 2011 and with strong growth in segments such as direct marketing, catalogues and small goods.
Asendia leans on the strengths and values of Swiss Post and La Poste and will focus on improving existing services and developing new innovative solutions for the benefit of its customers.
The chairmanship of its Board of Directors has been entrusted to Ulrich Hurni, Head of Post Mail and Deputy CEO of Swiss Post. Marc Pontet, previously Deputy CEO in charge of marketing and sales at Courrier and CEO of La Poste’s Global Mail, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer.
The new brand name and visual identity are designed to represent Asendia’s ambition and heritage.
The brand is supported by the motto “The world is your address”, which, says the company, expresses Asendia’s commitment to its existing and future customers, offering them international B2C solutions that support their international growth and investments.
"Swiss Post and La Poste are delighted to take this additional step in the development of their international mail businesses together, which confirms the importance of this activity for our groups and for our customers,” states Ulrich Hurni, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Asendia.
“The creation of Asendia enables La Poste and Swiss Post to bring together the best of their expertise and solutions in order to offer their international clients innovative solutions and to accompany them in their development services,” says Marc Pontet, Chief Executive Officer of Asendia.
(The universal postal services in France and Switzerland are not included in the joint venture.)
