TOP NEWS: Royal Mail set to restructure and streamline operations

(Alliance News) - Royal Mail PLC on Monday said its third-quarter financial performance was in ...

Alliance News 25 January, 2022 | 9:30AM
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(Alliance News) - Royal Mail PLC on Monday said its third-quarter financial performance was in line with expectations but added it intends to restructure and streamline the business moving forward to sustain profitability.

The London-based postal service and courier company said its performance in October to December, its financial third quarter, was in line with expectations.

The company said revenue was down 2.4% to GBP3.55 billion from GBP3.64 billion in the same period the previous year. Royal Mail said this was "broadly" in line with its expectations.

Revenue was up 17%, however, when compared to the same period in 2019 in which revenue stood at GBP3.04 billion.

The company noted that staff absences due to the Omicron wave of Covid-19 peaked at 15,000 within the UK domestic operation in early January, hurting service levels in some areas of the country and slowing the realisation of planned cost efficiencies.

Royal Mail said it was entering into a formal consultation on a reorganisation to streamline operational management to improve focus on performance at a local level. The company expects this to deliver GBP40 million in annualised benefit.

Excluding the cost of the restructuring, Royal Mail expects full-year adjusted operating profit in life with previous guidance of GBP500 million, which would be up 40% from last year's GBP358 million. Royal Mail's financial year ends March 28.

Chair Keith Williams said: "We expected some decline in parcel volumes given most retail stores were open during the period, unlike last year. However, the trend towards customers wanting more parcels remains, and responding to that change efficiently is key. Our domestic parcels business in the UK has seen demand increase by around a third over two years, as has our General Logistics Systems business across its markets."

Looking forward, Royal Mail said it will continue to build its commercial plan to target growth opportunities and share in a market that it anticipates will still be in transition from Covid-19. As a result, the company said it is focused on progressing its transformation and efficiency plans to mitigate expected cost pressures and sustain profitability.

The company expects to publish its full-year results on May 19.

Shares in Royal Mail were up 5.5% at 460.40 pence on Tuesday morning in London.

By Heather Rydings; heatherrydings@alliancenews.com

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Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
Royal Mail PLC 268.80 GBX -2.61 -

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