BONN (dpa-AFX) - Deutsche Post continues to have problems meeting government requirements for its branch network. At the end of February, there were 125 so-called unoccupied mandatory locations, the Federal Network Agency announced on request. This means that the post office is not present in 125 locations, even though it should be. This was 52 more than in October 2023 (73) and 49 fewer than in January 2023 (174). The figure has been fluctuating up and down for a long time.

According to the current Postal Act, the logistics provider must have at least 12,000 branches nationwide - mostly kiosks or supermarkets that also have a post office counter. This figure is exceeded with just under 13,000. However, there are also distance requirements: In municipalities with at least 2000 inhabitants, there must be at least one branch, and in municipalities with more than 4000 inhabitants, the distance to the branch in contiguous residential areas must not be more than two kilometers.

This results in a presence requirement in rural areas, which Swiss Post has difficulties with. According to them, this in turn is due to structural change in the retail sector: if the last store in a village closes, the Post no longer has a local branch partner.

A Post spokesperson pointed out that 99 percent of the mandatory locations are covered. The establishment of postal branches, particularly in rural areas with a poor retail infrastructure, is very challenging, and the closure of branch partners must be expected. "It is therefore not unusual that the number of vacancies has now risen again." The company will continue to work on being present at all mandatory locations and offering customers a reliable supply of parcel and letter services. "This also includes setting up additional postal stations, which are very popular with our customers." A postal station is a machine where you can buy stamps, post letters and drop off or collect parcels.

Such machines have not yet counted towards the branch network requirement - however, this is set to change in the current amendment to the Postal Act. For a vending machine to be considered a branch, the green light is required from the municipalities concerned and from the Federal Network Agency. Overall, according to the proposal of the Federal Ministry of Economics, "an appropriate ratio of person-operated and automated stations must be ensured"./wdw/DP/zb