One in five post offices will close in four years' time
Swiss Post is closing around one in five of its branches by 2028. This means that 600 post offices and 2,000 serviced locations will still be available in four years' time. No jobs are likely to be cut as a result.
"We have to acknowledge that a change has taken place in the last four years with regard to the behavior of our customers," Swiss Post Group CEO Roberto Cirillo told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Wednesday. The services at the counter are being used less and less. This is why Swiss Post has to adapt its network.
Swiss Post said in response to an inquiry that there would be no redundancies as a result of the reduction. Cirillo said that due to the large number of retirements, Swiss Post would be hiring more staff across the whole of Switzerland over the next few years rather than laying them off. "We will have to see whether it will be different at a specific location," said Cirillo.
Branches become "service centers"
According to Cirillo, it has not yet been decided which locations will be closed. Swiss Post will continue to have a nationwide network with 600 company-operated branches and 2,000 staffed locations throughout Switzerland, "in the valleys as well as in the cities". But the formats are changing.
The branches will be further developed into "service centers", Swiss Post wrote. It is working together with banks, health insurance companies, insurance companies and authorities. Over the next four years, Swiss Post will invest more than 100 million francs in staff, the modernization of branches and new formats.
For locations where post offices have to be closed, Swiss Post will work with the municipalities to find successor solutions. For example, the "branch with partner" format or the home delivery service have proven successful. "We are confident that the population will continue to enjoy a high quality of public service from Swiss Post in the future," said Cirillo.
Expand position
As a provider of digital communication services, Swiss Post also wants to promote the digital transformation in Switzerland and ensure the secure handling of data for all private individuals, companies and authorities, according to the press release. The vehicle fleet is to be converted to emission-free drives and Swiss Post will invest in the charging infrastructure in Switzerland.
However, in order for Swiss Post to continue to develop in the future and finance the public service without taxpayers' money, it needs "appropriate legal and regulatory framework conditions". Swiss Post therefore expects politicians to set the course for Swiss Post's universal service mandate from 2030. (SDA)
