"The development of online shopping has brought a real breath of fresh air to the postal and courier services market. Seen by many experts as an area in decline, due to developments of technology (email, online support services, etc.), mail continues to be, and in 2019 an essential service for the economy. The courier service is in the foreground with volumes increasing from year to year, transport packages of products is one of the areas where there is still significant potential, the proof that many companies are finding it hard to cope with the demand for services especially from the digital operators sector (online stores, HORECA online services, etc.) ", reads a press release of KeysFin, submitted to AGERPRES.
Estimates of specialists reveal that the postal and courier business in Romania exceeded the four billion lei threshold in 2018, following the increase in online sales of products.
The quoted analysis also shows that the number of postal and courier companies advanced nearly 270% over 2007, to more than 1,500 companies in 2017. Currently, the sector is in a full maturing process, with cost optimization being at the forefront. On this background, the number of companies dropped 5% from 2016.
Also, due to the development of logistics services and the growing demand for freight transport, business in this industry grew by 8% in 2017 compared to the previous year, respectively by 130% compared to 2007, to 3.8 billion lei.
Despite the logistical and staffing problems it faces, Posta Romana continues to remain the main player in the postal and courier market in Romania.
The company, owned by the Romanian state through the Ministry of Communications and Information Society (93.5%) and Proprietatea Fund(6.5%) registered a turnover of 1.1 billion lei (29.5% of the total).
In the second place stood Fan Courier Express SRL, a 100% Romanian private equity company with a turnover of 586 million lei, or 15% of the total. The podium is completed by Urgent Cargus S.A. (372 million lei, 10% of the total), DHL International Romania SRL (256 million lei, 6.7%) and TNT Romania SRL (253 million lei, 6.6%). On the whole, the top 10 companies generated almost 80% of total turnover.
At the regional level, the capital attracts the largest volume of postal and courier services, with businesses of 2.6 billion lei, followed by the counties of Ilfov (604 million lei), Sibiu (193 million lei), Cluj (68 million lei) and Prahova (36 million lei). together, the top five counties, generated almost 91% of total turnover in 2017.
In terms of labor productivity, the sector posted a significant advance of 13.5% in 2017, to over 100.000 lei / employee. The result is particularly relevant when the average cost per employee increased by 12% from 2016 to over 35,000 lei per employee and the number of employees decreased by 5% compared to 2016 and by 11% compared to 2007, at over 37,000 employees in 2017.
At international level, over 5.3 million employees work in post and courier services in over 192 countries and 677,000 post offices, according to UPU (Universal Postal Union) data. Seen as an indicator of the economic and social situation, the development of these industries places Romania on the 57th position in the world from 192 countries.
According to the UPU's index for each of over 170 countries, Romania has accumulated 48 points and is below the average of 55 points at the regional level. For comparison, Austria ranks 10, Slovenia on 11, Estonia (13), Slovakia (16), Czech Republic (21), Hungary (30) and Bulgaria (39). Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany and France are leaders of this ranking, but it is worth noting the position of Poland (6th place in 2018).
AGERPRES/(AS - autor: Carmen Marinescu, editor: Daniel Badea, editor online: Anda Badea)
