In Germany, it is very difficult to find traces of the old 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 institute like any other. Although there remain a few exclusive branches, most of the old post offices have become simple points of contact: even in large cities, for several years, you can drop off your parcels and postage your mail in businesses simply equipped with a Deutsche Post machine.
Since 1994, the start of its progressive liberalization, the German post office has undergone a profound transformation. Deutsche Post has been listed on the stock exchange since 2000, the German state has gradually withdrawn from the capital. With the acquisition of the American DHL in 2002, the group became a world leader in transport and logistics, with 82 billion euros in turnover in 2023. DHL Group includes the Deutsche Post and DHL brands. Since 2007, the postal service has been privatized.
Of the old public service, only a few missions devolved to Deutsche Post AG, defined by law, remain: maintaining 12,000 branches in the territory, at least one per municipality with more than 2,000 inhabitants. Legal delivery times have recently been extended. From 2025, 95% of letters must be delivered on average within three working days of their submission. And 99% should arrive within four days. Previously, 80% of letters had to be delivered the next working day and 95% the day after that.
The dematerialization of mail and liberalization have resulted in a considerable reduction in the company's physical presence in the country. In 1994, the forerunner of Deutsche Post operated a network of 26,000 branches and contact points. In 2022, this number fell 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 employees overseas Rhine has evolved accordingly: when it was listed on the stock exchange, Deutsche Post employed 236,000 people in Germany. Today it has 150,000. But DHL Group employs a total of 594,000 people worldwide, a record, due to continued growth in its international activities.
Outsourcing plan
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Source: Lemonde