Weko: Joint Early-Morning Delivery Service by Post, NZZ, and Tamedia Approved
The Competition Commission (Weko) has approved the merger of the early-morning delivery organizations of Swiss Post, the NZZ Group, and Tamedia. However, the publishers are not allowed to participate in the delivery organization, as this would give them a dominant market position.
The Competition Commission (Weko) has approved the merger of the early-morning delivery organizations of Swiss Post, the NZZ Group, and Tamedia. However, the publishers are not permitted to participate in the delivery organization, as this would give them a dominant market position, Weko stated in a press release on Friday. Without the NZZ Group and Tamedia as customers, another distributor would find it difficult to establish itself.
Publishers must now sell their existing delivery operations, but cannot become co-owners of the joint early-morning delivery service. The restructuring is not expected to change anything for the delivery personnel. Swiss Post plans to continue operating both existing distribution networks with the same staff, as Swiss Post spokesperson Richard Pfister told the SDA in response to an inquiry. However, he noted that it is still too early to provide specific details.
In a joint statement, Swiss Post and the two publishing houses said they regret the conditions imposed by the Competition Commission. However, Tamedia spokesperson Christoph Zimmer said, when asked, that they do not plan to file a complaint. The new delivery system is now to be implemented as quickly as possible.
The Weko also reviewed the simultaneous transfer of a majority stake in the Search.ch internet portal from Swiss Post to Tamedia. The Weko further stated that it had concluded that joint control of Search.ch by Swiss Post and Tamedia posed no concerns. Tamedia is acquiring a 75 percent stake in Räber Information Management, which operates the online portal. According to the company, the portal reaches over 2.5 million customers in Switzerland, making it the second-most-visited website. Swiss Post will retain a 25 percent stake in Search.ch.
Publishers must now sell their existing delivery operations, but cannot become co-owners of the joint early-morning delivery service. The restructuring is not expected to change anything for the delivery personnel. Swiss Post plans to continue operating both existing distribution networks with the same staff, as Swiss Post spokesperson Richard Pfister told the SDA in response to an inquiry. However, he noted that it is still too early to provide specific details.
In a joint statement, Swiss Post and the two publishing houses said they regret the conditions imposed by the Competition Commission. However, Tamedia spokesperson Christoph Zimmer said, when asked, that they do not plan to file a complaint. The new delivery system is now to be implemented as quickly as possible.
The Weko also reviewed the simultaneous transfer of a majority stake in the Search.ch internet portal from Swiss Post to Tamedia. The Weko further stated that it had concluded that joint control of Search.ch by Swiss Post and Tamedia posed no concerns. Tamedia is acquiring a 75 percent stake in Räber Information Management, which operates the online portal. According to the company, the portal reaches over 2.5 million customers in Switzerland, making it the second-most-visited website. Swiss Post will retain a 25 percent stake in Search.ch.
