D ie German postal service benefits with its electric vehicle Street Scooter from the debate about driving bans for diesel cars. The street scooter meets brisk demand, said company chief financial officer Melanie Kreis this Tuesday during a conference call. The discussion about the diesel had “tended to fuel interest even further,” emphasized Kreis.
Swiss Post uses the electric transporters itself but also sells the street scooters it develops and produces to customers outside the company. The electric delivery van has already been ordered by the fishmonger Deutsche See, but municipalities and small entrepreneurs are also interested.
The Bonn-based company is also expanding its model range. With the help of the American car manufacturer Ford larger trucks are to be offered.
Record profit in sight
Meanwhile, growing online commerce and brisk demand for express mail deliveries are driving higher sales. “Our company is growing in all areas and increasing its profits continuously,” summarized CEO Frank Appel the now announced business figures for the second quarter.
Total revenues climbed by 4.4 percent to 14.8 billion euros, operating income (EBIT) by 11.8 percent to 841 million euros, the Post said. Consolidated profit after minority interests increased from 541 million euros in the previous year to 602 million euros at that time.
The Group confirmed its forecast for the year: in 2017, the operating profit of 3.5 billion euros should rise to around 3.75 billion euros last year. By 2020, annual operating income is expected to grow on average by more than eight percent annually.
Swiss Post continues to play into the unabated boom in online trading. Customers order from Internet retailers such as Amazon or Zalando, and deliverers bring the packages to consumers. For Amazon, the group now also supplies fresh food in several metropolitan areas. Sales in the parcel business increased by 13.6 percent to two billion euros.