Minister of State Assets Wojciech Balczun has ruled out a merger between Poczta Polska and Orlen Paczka, pointing instead to possibilities for business cooperation. He emphasized that the Polish postal operator faces enormous investment needs, particularly in IT and customer service standards.
– I see there space for business cooperation, but not necessarily capital one. Poczta Polska has huge investment needs, especially in IT and raising customer service standards in branches – said Wojciech Balczun in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza. The minister added that the company has not lost all its competences in the parcel market, but a merger would require a gigantic investment outlay that the post office currently cannot afford.
Balczun noted that Poczta Polska possesses a vast property resource, but like every traditional postal operator in Europe, it is undergoing a deep transformation. – The classic postal services market is becoming history. Post offices must reinvent themselves, find new roles and undergo computerization – he stressed.
Property management inspired by PKP
The minister suggested that Poczta Polska should copy the model used by Polish railways. – A company XCity was established there, to which land is being contributed. Its task is to find partners specialized in development projects, determine the percentage profit from a given investment, and then exit it. For Poczta, this is a great scheme to copy – Balczun explained. This approach would allow the postal operator to monetize its extensive real estate portfolio without bearing the full cost of development projects.
Poczta Polska is also facing a major leadership change. From June 1, Magdalena Gaj will become the company’s CEO, with Sławomir Żurawski, Marek Mąkosa, and cybersecurity expert Grzegorz Latosiński joining the management board. This team is tasked with restructuring, digitization, and regaining market position.
New management’s vision for transformation
– We must maintain and nurture what exists and what Poczta is obliged to do while simultaneously building the potential for e-delivery. I would like to talk about a specific strategy about a month after I possibly join the board – said Magdalena Gaj in an interview with Rzeczpospolita before taking the position. Her comments signal a focus on modernization while preserving the company’s traditional obligations.
The minister’s statements make it clear that a capital merger with Orlen Paczka is off the table for now. Instead, the government expects Poczta Polska to pursue operational synergies and cost-effective partnerships, while concentrating its limited resources on digital infrastructure and service quality improvements. The new management will have to navigate these challenges against the backdrop of a rapidly declining traditional mail market and increasing competition from private couriers.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Dariana Loverbird / Shutterstock
