World Postal News:

Estonian parcel post provider Cleveron to go public

              Estonian Cleveron, which provides modern parcel post logistics solutions, mulls listing on the stock exchanges in order to implement its expansion plans. Cleveron, which operated the network of SmartPost parcel machines until last summer, has found exciting challenges in a number of European countries, including Russia, Finland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

              Estonia is one of the only country in the world where self-service parcel post machines have been so well-received by consumers. Already 140,000 people in Estonia have used SmartPost to send packages, writes Testmarket/LETA.

        In July 2010, Cleveron sold the SmartPost network to the Finnish logistics company Itella and is now focusing on exporting their business model.

            Cleveron supervisory board member Peep Kuld says that now Itella is interested in working with the Estonians to establish a similar network of parcel machines in Finland.

            Finns can buy a full solution from Cleveron, ranging from the cabinets and software to the know-how for operating the network in the optimum manner.

            But first the biggest order from Russia must be filled. The biggest privately owned Russian logistics company, CPCR Express, has ordered 20 package machines from Cleveron in the framework of the pilot project, of which 15 will be installed in Moscow and the rest in St. Petersburg. By February 2011, the network should be launched under the trademark PickPoint.ru. If it proves successful, another 100-200 machines will be purchased.

            While in Russia CPCR is buying the machines from Cleveron, in the Czech Republic and Slovakia a more complicated and risky scheme is being used – the Estonians would be contracted to build and launch the network themselves. Kuld says that the SmartPost experience showed that it is easier to sell a network that is in operation and has been accepted by clients, and large postal service providers are also showing major interest.

            Building the network themselves in a country that is much bigger than Estonia will require a great amount of money. Kuld confirms that the firm is considering finding investors and even becoming publicly listed.

Courtesy:baltic-course.com, 21.01.2011