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A year of special challenges

Although Swiss Post’s result was again lower in 2020, a year dominated by the pandemic, it attests to a strong performance by the company.

Gabriel Ehrbar

Rich Content Section

Video: nel video sul risultato della Posta.

The coronavirus pandemic presented a particular challenge for all Swiss Post units last year. But it also demonstrated how important Swiss Post is for Switzerland. The concept of the universal service in particular acquired an immediate and tangible significance in the everyday lives of the people living in our country. The efforts made by Swiss Post’s staff and management to maintain all the diverse elements of our public service during this time of crisis were enormous. The facts speak for themselves: last year, our mail carriers delivered almost 1.7 billion addressed letters. Parcel volumes increased by 23 percent. PostBus transported 127 million passengers, and 2.7 million customers placed their trust in PostFinance’s financial services.

Traditional postal services remain under pressure

Although Swiss Post set a new volume record in the parcel segment, its result for 2020 was lower than in the previous year: at 7,054 million francs, operating income was down 114 million francs. Generated Group profit amounts to 178 million francs, 77 million francs lower than 2019. The main reasons: the substitution of traditional postal services as a result of increasing digitization intensified further in the past year. The volume of addressed letters, for example, fell by a further 5.6 percent, and there were 15.1 percent fewer inpayments at branch counters. Interest income at PostFinance continued to decline due to the unfavourable interest rate situation. The coronavirus pandemic also weighed on Swiss Post’s result, costing more than 139 million francs.

Chairman of the Board of Directors Urs Schwaller and CEO Roberto Cirillo discussing Swiss Post’s result in our video

Chairman of the Board of Directors Urs Schwaller discussing Swiss Post’s result in our video.

CEO Roberto Cirillo discussing Swiss Post’s result in our video.

Continuing the success story with a new strategy

The new strategy sets the course for guaranteeing that Swiss Post remains relevant in the years to come. It also addresses Swiss Post’s self-financing, and in particular the financing of its universal service obligation. To continue to guarantee the quality of its services in the future, Swiss Post can rely on the stable financial basis that it has built up in recent years, while also building on its traditional strengths and competencies and focusing on future-oriented areas in logistics, communication, mobility and financial services. This will allow us to grow and make profits, which in turn can be invested in the future. With this strategy, Swiss Post wants to remain a company that finances high-quality public services from its own resources.

More information

Press release

Swiss Post Business Report

written by

Gabriel Ehrbar

“New growth areas are needed to ensure the provision of a self-funded universal service”

Background
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Portrait of Urs Schwaller

Swiss Post: coronavirus also weighs on interim result

News, Corona
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