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Swiss Post is expanding its offering in the post office network. It plans to equip 20 to 30 modern post offices with consulting areas for PostFinance financial products by 2012.
The company intends to invest around CHF100 million (US$96 million) in this project. Swiss Post is also adding value to its agencies – as of 1 February 2010, all agencies will accept Maestro cards for cashless payments. These measures will make Swiss Post’s 3,600 access points even more customer-friendly.
Swiss post offices already offer a wide range of services – from traditional postal products to a variety of brand-name articles and financial products. The latter have become increasingly popular in recent years.
Swiss Post is planning to further develop 20 to 30 post offices through the integration of consulting areas for financial products where customers can ask for advice on financial matters relating to the product range of PostFinance. Its aim is to provide customers with a new shopping experience at their more modern and customer-friendly post office.
Swiss Post has already entered into discussions with municipal authorities as to which locations should be expanded first. These are: Horgen, Ostermundigen and Martigny. Providing these are successful, it is possible that the first locations in line with the new model could be implemented as soon as the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011. Further steps will then be undertaken in 2011 and 2012.
In other news, Swiss Post has named its new chairman as Peter Hasler – a former head of the Swiss Employers’ Association, who has taken over with immediate effect.
