Swiss Post is expanding its offering in the post office network. It plans to equip 20-30 modern post offices with consulting areas for PostFinance financial products by 2012 and intends to invest around CHF 100 million in this project. Swiss Post is also adding value to its agencies («post office in the village shop»): as of 1 February 2010, all agencies will accept Maestro cards for cashless payments. These measures will make Swiss Post's 3,600 access points even more customer friendly.

Swiss post offices already offer a wide range of services – from traditional postal products to a variety of brand-name articles and financial products. The latter have become increasingly popular in recent years. Swiss Post is planning to further develop 20-30 post offices through the integration of consulting areas for financial products where customers can ask for advice on financial matters relating to the product range of PostFinance. Its aim is to provide customers with a new shopping experience at their more modern and customer-friendly post office: customers will be able to receive an all-in-one postal service at a single location. The new offering will complement the services provided by the existing 36 independent PostFinance branches. Through this latest project, the Group units PostFinance and Post Offices & Sales aim to exploit their market opportunities in regional centres and conurbations.

First locations in 2010

Swiss Post has already entered into discussions with municipal authorities as to which locations should be expanded first: Horgen, Ostermundigen, Martigny. Providing these are successful, it is possible that the first locations in line with the new model could be implemented as soon as the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011. Further steps will then be undertaken in 2011 and 2012. Swiss Post plans to invest around CHF 100 million in the construction-related modifications at the locations concerned by 2012.

New jobs

The expansion of the service range will lead to new development opportunities for on-site staff. Over the next two years, Swiss Post plans to employ an additional 200 employees throughout Switzerland to provide its private customers with financial advice. This will also create new jobs in the newly restructured post offices.

Postal agencies upgraded

The postal agency model, which has proved successful thanks to its attractive opening hours, has received an important upgrade. In addition to 2.6 million PostFinance Cards, Swiss Post will also accept bank Maestro cards for cashless payments as of 1 February. The wide circulation of Maestro cards – approximately 4.8 million throughout Switzerland – will mean that a significant proportion of the population can in future process their payments at the «post office in the village shop».

The expansion of consulting services at post offices and the acceptance of Maestro cards at agencies will make Swiss Post's network of around 3,600 customer access points even more customer friendly. As at 31 December 2009, Swiss Post operated 2,053 conventional post offices, 291 agencies (incl. postal companies), 1,158 home-delivery services, 5 internal mail solutions and 103 PickPost collection points as well as 36 PostFinance branches.