Zuvo partners are divided

 
Distribution The publishers' front against Swiss Post is crumbling. The distributor Zuvo probably has itself to blame for this. 
"Now Swiss Post can attack us with addressed early delivery across the board." This realization quickly spread among publishers with their own early delivery service after it became known that Ringier had transferred the Blick early delivery service to the Yellow Giant (see WW 3/08). From the beginning of March, two contractors will therefore be running behind each other in most of the larger conurbations to distribute subscribed daily newspapers: Zurich-based Zuvo and its partners in Basel, Aarau, Lucerne and Chur, and now also the new wholly-owned Swiss Post subsidiary Postmail AG. In the meantime, however, the publishers have come to a second realization: the Zuvo offer was apparently more attractive in terms of price than that of Swiss Post (see interview with Jürg Brauchli on page 14). "So Ringier made a political decision by choosing Swiss Post," says a publisher who does not wish to be named. He continues: "For me, this is inexplicable. Particularly in view of the liberalization of the postal service, this makes it difficult, perhaps even impossible, for us to present a united front to Swiss Post. "Elsewhere, however, the new competition is being played down. At AZ Medien, for example. "The competitor was already there before, just not in early delivery. It has a customer, but not yet an organization," says Eva Keller, spokeswoman for AZ Medien. "Our Pressevertriebs GmbH could certainly have tolerated the view, but it's always the client who decides," says Erwin Bachmann, board delegate of LZ Medien, calmly. But there is still something that bothers him. "First, Swiss Post increased the rates for newspaper transportation, and now it can apparently use them to co-finance a second early delivery in the same area."
Beat Meyer, CEO of Basler Zeitung Medien (BZM), is also pensive. Although BZM has not lost any previous contracts, he says, it must now expect that Swiss Post will sooner or later try to wrest the early delivery contract for the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (bz) from it. The bz, which as part of the Mittelland Zeitung is in fierce competition with the BZM, would perhaps even welcome such an offer. For Meyer, it is also "quite conceivable" that Swiss Post wants to soften up the publishers until they merge their early delivery companies with that of Swiss Post. "Swiss Post has repeatedly made such advances to publishers in the past. It is therefore possible that it is now increasing the pressure," says Meyer.
The Zuvo partners in Chur and Schaffhausen, who recently had differences with the Zurich distribution organization, are relaxed, even pragmatic. Norbert Neininger, publisher of Schaffhauser Nachrichten and Chairman of the Board of Directors of delivery company Schazo, has no reservations about Swiss Post. "We have a very good relationship. When Zuvo came up against us in Schaffhausen last year, we started to work very well with Swiss Post," he recalls. "As just a small Zuvo partner", he therefore suggests that publishers and Swiss Post sit down together soon. "The goal is a low-cost, distance-independent early delivery rate for everyone. Competition alone is of no use to us here," he says.
Südostschweiz publisher Hanspeter Lebrument, who also clashed with Zuvo over Sunday delivery a year and a half ago, echoes this sentiment: "Why a power struggle with Swiss Post? I would cooperate if a joint early delivery was cheaper," he says. In any case, he has already tied up his parcel with Swiss Post. "Swiss Post has assured us that it will have Blick delivered by our Südostschweiz Pressevertriebs AG as soon as Blick early delivery also starts in our area," he says. He also shows understanding for the fact that Swiss Post is now also starting early delivery. "In view of a fully liberalized market, it must be able to offer this service," he says. The President of the Publishers Association does not see Ringier's withdrawal as a problem either. "Competition among publishers is very tough anyway," he says, recalling the free newspapers and the Sunday market.    
Markus Knöpfli