In Germany it is very difficult to find traces of the former public postal service: mail and parcel deliveries take place several times a day, postmen can be in yellow or green, the German postal bank, Postbank is a credit institution like any other. Although some exclusive branches remain, most of the old post offices have become simple contact points: even in large cities, for several years now, you can drop off your parcels and send your mail in establishments simply equipped with a Deutsche machine Post.
Since 1994, the beginning of its progressive liberalization, the German postal service has undergone a profound transformation. Deutsche Post has been listed on the stock exchange since 2000, but the German State has been progressively withdrawing from the capital. With the acquisition of the American DHL in 2002, the group became a world leader in transport and logistics, with a turnover of 82 billion euros in 2023. The DHL group includes the Deutsche Post and DHL brands. Since 2007, the postal service has been privatized.
Of the former public service, only some missions delegated to Deutsche Post AG remain, defined by law: maintaining 12,000 branches in the territory, at least one per municipality of more than 2,000 inhabitants. Legal delivery times have recently been extended. Starting in 2025, 95% of letters will need to be delivered on average within three business days of being sent. And 99% should arrive in four days. Previously, 80% of letters had to be delivered the next business day and 95% the next day.
The dematerialization of the mail and liberalization have resulted in a considerable reduction of the company’s physical presence in the country. In 1994, Deutsche Post’s predecessor operated a network of 26,000 branches and contact points. In 2022, this figure was reduced to 13,000 for basic postal services, with a sharp reduction in the number of own agencies, from 6,000 in 2000 to 1,000 in 2022. The number of overseas employees in the Rhine has evolved accordingly: When it went public, Deutsche Post employed 236,000 people in Germany. Today it has 150,000, but the DHL Group employs a total of 594,000 people worldwide, a record, due to the continuous growth of its international activities.
Outsourcing plan
You have 42.9% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
