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DELIVERING THE GOODS DURING A TIME OF CRISIS
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OPERATIONS Whilst, naturally, our attention is firmly on running our own operations as efficiently as possible, it is sometimes interesting to see what is happening in other postal operations around the world.
Our letter volumes are down 25% year on year and our inbound parcel volumes are up 36%. It has taken us a while to get used to this change in product mix but I am confident that we are now coping well. Spare a thought for Australia Post whose letter volumes are down 45% with parcel volumes up a whopping 78%. One solution they used to cope with the change was to swap 2,000 posties from bikes to vans, enabling them to move more parcels. In UAE Emirates Post Group has seen a 45% increase in last mile deliveries. Ukrposhta in Ukraine are similar to us, experiencing a 20-30% decrease in letters and a 30-40% increase in parcels. And just as we in Jersey have launched a platform to allow local businesses to ship both on and off island, Ukrposhta developed E-Export School, which has already trained 5,000 local export targeted SMEs. Our friends across the water in France, La Poste, have seen a 50% increase in parcel volumes. La Poste launched a programme called ‘Ma Ville,
Mon Shopping’ (My City, My Shopping). This is a dedicated service for small food shops in France. Through the service SMEs can create their own online shop and then arrange pickup and delivery. 3,150 local shops have signed up. In Belgium, Bpost, have seen parcel volumes double on the same period last year. You will all recall our free postcard initiative to say ‘Thank you’ or ‘Thinking of you’ during the pandemic. Bpost developed a Mobile Postcard app where customers can send 10 free postcards to their loved ones. 2.2 million postcards were sent. In Wuhan, in China, where the virus outbreak began, Chinese fulfilment giant, JD Logistics came up with a novel means of maintaining its 95% fulfilment rate. One technology that was used for delivery route planning was JD Logistics digital twin model. The company used a digital twin to simulate and forecast the real road conditions during the pandemic. This was done in order to evaluate the impact road
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UPDATE
closures in Wuhan in particular had on the delivery route. Using this technology, JD Logistics adjusted its route planning solution, ensuring much needed supplies reached Wuhan as soon as possible. In Jersey, we suffered loss of resource at the start of the pandemic as staff self-isolated due to vulnerabilities. We were able to fill the 40 spaces lost with temporary staff and assistance from admin staff. In China, JD Logistics had to recruit 20,000 frontline positions and their local on-demand delivery platform had to fill 15,000 positions. No mean feat! As we inch our way towards Level 1 of the Governments Safe Exit Framework, Jersey Post operations is in good shape. This is down to the organisational skills of the managers and the flexibility and co-operation of the operational staff.
Thanks again to everyone and keep up the good work! Niall McClure Managing Director, Postal and Logistics
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COVID-19 UPDATE
At the time of writing, Jersey has tested 31,453 people for coronavirus. Some of you will have travelled off island and returned to undergo the swab test at the airport or harbour. What many people don’t know is that the tests aren’t actually analysed here in Jersey. They go to the UK. Jersey Post is providing a managed service for the analysis of the tests. This involves samples being collected from the test centres which are then flown on the returning mail plane in the evening to East Midlands Airport where they are met by a waiting courier and driven to a laboratory in Coventry. In the morning, a specially chartered plane flies in to Jersey at 06:00 and departs with other batches of samples which also go to East Midlands and onwards to Coventry. This means the samples are with the lab within 3 hours of leaving Jersey. The laboratories are operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This, in turn, facilitates the results being known back in Jersey within 30 hours of being tested.
Samples from the pathology laboratory at Jersey General Hospital follow a different route. These are collected and dispatched along with our other Logistics traffic on the evening freight boat. This arrives at Portsmouth the next morning where another waiting courier takes them to be analysed in London. Some of you will have read that there is the prospect of a new test and analysis programme that would make results available within 90 minutes. The Government of Jersey has secured one of the laboratory machines that will make this possible. It now needs to undergo its own testing to make sure it is fit for purpose before being deployed in a live environment. A strong, reliable testing and contact tracing regime will be key to keeping Jersey’s borders open for much needed tourism and other travel needs. Until the new on-island facility is up and running, you can rest assured that Jersey Post is getting your test to the labs for analysis as quickly and efficiently as possible. Well done to everyone involved in setting this arrangement up and performing the collections and dispatches.
Niall McClure Managing Director, Postal & Logistics Services
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IT
UPDATE I’d like to thank everyone that has had to work extra shifts and support the recovery effort driven by our infrastructure issue at the beginning of July. Your patience and support through the process was really appreciated. As a business, we rely on our systems to be there and it causes immense frustration and extra work when they aren’t available for any reason. The failure of this particular component of our core infrastructure has tested our resilience and recovery plans and we had to revert to our full Disaster Recovery site. I am glad to say that we didn’t lose any data through the process and the core infrastructure issue has been resolved. We have also put in place appropriate measures to ensure both that this issue cannot reoccur or that a recovery wouldn’t take as long in the future.
Nigel Arkwright Chief Information Officer
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In case you missed it… Our CEO, Tim Brown, was interviewed for The Saturday Interview in the JEP on 18th July. Here’s the article for anyone who missed it.
DELIVERING DURING A TIME OF CRISIS The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the decline in letter-writing, but has boosted home deliveries of other kinds. Yet, it might be surprising to learn that it is in fact exports that account for most of Jersey Post’s parcel business, as chief executive Tim Brown explains to Rod McLoughlin.
Pierre Le Sueur, remembered today for his sewers and his memorial obelisk in Broad Street, was coming to the end of his long tenure as Constable of St Helier when in 1852 he agreed to install the very latest in communications technology – a number of impressive postboxes appeared in town. Their arrival signalled a boom in letter-writing and a growth in Jersey’s Postal Service, inspired by a visit to the Island by the great postal reformer, the Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope. So it comes as something of a disappointment, early in conversation with Jersey Post’s Chief Executive Tim Brown, to have confirmed something we probably all knew already: no one writes letters any more. ‘People have got used to communicating more easily and more speedily by other means. That’s not to say that there isn’t a place for it but the bulk of our letter mail - over 90% - is business to somebody: business to business, or business to consumer. It’s not the public writing to each other – that’s a tiny part of what we do,’ he said.
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THE GOODS That discouraging figure is put into ever starker relief when you discover that recently there has been an annual fall of around 8% in letter volumes, a decline Covid-19 has hastened further. ‘What we’ve seen is that three years’ worth of trend has taken place within three months, so our letter volume is down as much as 25% and I can’t see that coming back but what we have also seen is the
parcel and package volumes, both coming into the Island and going off the Island, slowly increasing,’ Mr Brown said. In the same period, those volumes increased by between 15 and 20% but from a lower base, with the result that Jersey Post has seen an overall decline in total volume in and out of the island of 16%. As far as parcels are concerned, the statistics probably confirm what most islanders would have predicted based on two features of daily life during and since lockdown – regular home deliveries of goods, some of which might previously have been purchased on the high street, and an expectation, when out and about, that you will inevitably come across at least one Jersey Post van on delivery. What is unexpected is that these deliveries account for the minority of parcel business, reflecting an aspect of Jersey’s economy that remains hidden for most. ‘We export 50% more packets and parcels than we import. As an island, we are a net exporter – there are tens of millions of pounds’ worth of goods exported through Jersey Post alone, let along the freight companies and other parcel companies on the Island. The export market is still a big source of revenue and profit to the Island and employment, so it’s really important. I don’t think people always recognise or remember that,’ Mr Brown said. Jersey’s fulfilment industry is selling to customers around the world and cross-border e-commerce is in double digit growth which has benefited the Island’s exporters, particularly since the coronavirus pandemic struck.
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Just as a retailer buys goods for sale in St Helier, the Island’s fulfilment industry is buying goods for onward sale around the globe to customers living hundreds or thousands of miles away. ‘We’re talking about subscription contact lenses into Europe, bought and sold goods, telephone cases, Jersey produce, Jersey coffee – those are things that we do. More than 90% of it does not go to the UK – it goes to the USA and Europe – those are the important trade lanes,’ Mr Brown said, adding that many export businesses employ 20 to 30 people locally.
Digital sales have arrived even for businesses whose market is purely within the Island and Jersey Post has responded with its own initiatives. ‘We work closely with Fetch.je, a group of people who spotted an opportunity during Covid-19 to give a platform for people to sell their goods and quite a few small businesses and restaurants advertised their products on Fetch.je and we would deliver them. The JEP did a lot to promote local businesses and this was a digital version of that.
Digital sales are also beginning to exert an influence over Jersey’s retail business model, which has been forced to adapt by restrictions imposed on high-street trading during lockdown.
We’ve offered new services for on-island parcel distribution – cheaper rates, held prices for six months, we delivered free to every Island home our Business2Home directory where businesses could promote home delivery, so we’ve tried to do our bit for the community we’re a part of.
Packets and parcels delivered from Jersey companies to Jersey customers have risen by 15 to 20% with local businesses responding to changing patterns of customer behaviour and, in the process, discovering entirely new markets.
Our door is always open for anyone who wants to talk to us about how we can help their business develop and grow. We have a proven track record of finding innovative and flexible solutions. We work with business, not against it,’ he said.
‘There are some stories of Jersey businesses selling to Jersey people that have begun to change their model and, because they do it online, almost by accident they are also selling to the UK and other places because they are accessible.
For goods moving within the Island, Jersey Post has invested heavily in technology to keep costs tightly controlled, from digital technology to make processing more cost-effective and efficient, to electric vans to keep the fleet greener, and running and maintenance costs low.
They’ve really made a success of selling online alongside their retail business and, as a result, they are probably stronger than they were going into Covid because they’ve broadened their channels to market and the ability of people to access their services,’ Mr Brown explains. In his view, coronavirus has had a profound effect on business that goes far beyond the predicted early loss of revenues that came from lockdown. The message he takes from this is that business has to embrace what he calls ‘a multi-channel approach to accessing the market place’.
Mr Brown, who previously worked in senior positions in Royal Mail and DHL Express and was chief executive of Postcomm, the UK’s postal regulator, recognises that these changing trends have required his own staff to be prepared to adapt in ways that could not have been foreseen six months ago.
‘I would like to thank them because they have been tremendous during this. The flexibility they have shown as we’ve tried different things has been great. So, from the management to the staff the message if that they have been tremendous,’ he said.
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All aspects of the business have had to respond. Operational staff have been divided into two shifts at Rue des Pres to reduce numbers on site, individual vans have been assigned to single drivers to reduce the possibility of cross-contamination, and administrative and management staff have worked from home linked by Microsoft’s Teams package. Meanwhile, there have been changes of which we the customer are all aware – we have not had to sign for packages and safety protocols have been followed with items left on doorsteps as postal staff withdraw to a safe distance. While, along with the ubiquitous hand sanitiser, these are things which may be relaxed in the future, the effect of the pandemic on working practises has been to challenge permanently assumptions about the way people work. ‘It has actually made us think differently about going forward. We’re looking at a mixture of home working and at people’s timing of work to make it more flexible. As long as they can do their hours in the week, they can work from home and work at almost any time, so if it’s better for you to work from 12pm to 8pm, that’ll be fine by us; if you want to work three days from the office and two at home that’ll be fine by us, too. So actually it’s been quite a good test of the ability to be more flexible and we’ve surprised ourselves that you can be more flexible than you think. Generally, our customers have also been very understanding and supportive of our guys, which I’m pleased about,’ he said.
That flexibility extends from working practises to embracing new ways of thinking – finding solutions to some of the challenges which has emerged in recent weeks. Posties have been delivering prescriptions to islanders unable to visit doctors’ surgeries, for example. ‘We also do all the logistics around the tests taken at the Airport and Harbour that go to the UK, so some go out in the morning on a plane we charter and some go out in the evening on the postal plane. We manage that and the other side of collecting them off the plane and couriering them to the place where the tests are done the labs doing the testing,’ he said. A conversation with Jersey Post’s chief executive reveals the extent to which change in the postal business has been accelerated by a medical crisis that has touched every aspect of our lives. It is too soon, Mr Brown says, to determine where Jersey Post as a business will end up when a ‘new normal’ is reached. But if these times remind us how much the postal service has changed since those postboxes first appeared as a Victorian novelty in St Helier, Mr Brown remains upbeat. ‘On balance, I think we’re ideally placed to take advantage of inbound, outbound and on-Island online shopping, and we’ll probably be slightly up on where we thought we would be. And, as a 100% local company, owned by the States, obviously we pay tax here, we pay dividends here, we employ 350 people here, so it’s good news for Jersey because that money all goes into the Island,’ he said.
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NEW INTEGRATIONS The UK has long since used parcel management companies to process and manage the distribution of parcels.
They were originally sold as a system that could optimise service and cost, choosing the best carrier for the despatch of a particular item, but retailers soon noticed that while the systems made good choices, the split in volume over several carriers meant that their buying power was reduced and the overall cost to ship, was greater than using a single carrier. Now-a-days, there are a number of Parcel Management companies fighting for the click through charge that they are paid once a label has been produced and companies like M&S that ship over 60,000 e-com orders a day, pay their partner 3p a label, which is quite a lucrative model if you have all of the big shippers using your system!
On top of this, these companies charge carriers a fee for including them on their platform and they are now a necessary evil, as well as an opportunity to sell services to retail clients not yet engaged with Jersey Post. Over the past 12 months, Jersey Post has taken the decision to integrate with four providers. Metapack & Sorted who look after outbound shipments from the UK to the Channel Islands and ZigZag and ReBOUND who look after the returns. Partnering with these customers has given Jersey Post the ability to integrate with retailers such as ASOS and John Lewis, with access to more as we work with these integration partners to increase our reach across the UK. This is what they say about themselves:
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Sorted Group (UK to Channel Islands) Through partnerships with some of the biggest global carriers and customer-obsessed retailers, our refreshingly agile and data-driven software powers checkouts, warehouses and shipping around the world. Carrier management and delivery tracking - transforming the delivery experience into a delight, for everyone who touches it. Our clever tech ecosystem, whether used together or separately, connects each stage of the e-commerce parcel journey— from purchase at checkout, to fulfilment in the warehouse, to doorstep delivery. Standards needed raising in our industry and we’ve been working hard for nearly ten years to do just that. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and it’s only going to get better. Now is a really exciting time for us as we move into new projects, continue to grow and take on the world. We’re an ambitious, brave and agile bunch. If you are too, we need you in our ranks.
ZigZag (Returns) ZigZag is a managed international returns service to help retailers re-sell stock instead of return stock. In our experience, retailers want sales and cash recovery, not returns! The ZigZag returns web portal can be easily white labelled and integrated into a retailer’s own website to enable your customers to print out a simple cost-controlled label to send the goods back to a local ZigZag warehouse. Our labels are intelligently produced to help save money on postage but also create sales, so we’ll redirect the return to the place where it has the highest propensity to sell. ZigZag operate multiple warehouses worldwide, and can keep return costs low, as we have fixed cost agreements with major international courier partners. Returns are tracked wherever possible, and ZigZag will give visibility on what’s coming back and how much it will cost before it has even left the customer.
The local ZigZag receiving warehouse then scans and inspects the goods are as described, and on the same day the retailer can send a replacement or a refund, speeding up the process and improving the customer experience. But here’s the clever bit... Instead of sending the goods back to the retailer, ZigZag can re-sell the goods and redistribute them locally, saving retailer’s money on the cost of processing returns and reducing your carbon footprint. Working to pre-agreed margins and timelines, ZigZag will list your returned stock until sold, on a revenue share basis. Once the item sells, the retailer will be credited for the sale, turning your returns into cash. If the item is damaged, or doesn’t sell, ZigZag can either liquidate locally, destroy, or return via consolidation. If you have a sale or shortage in a local or international market, you can also call on the stock ZigZag are holding and we can fulfil direct to your customer in plain packaging.
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ETrak (Various) Even our partner business Parcel Monkey is bringing a solution to market called ETrak. Still in its infancy, the system looks to take business away from Metapack and Sorted with its own brand of Parcel Management. They say: ETrak makes international shipping easy. Whether you’re a global retailer with customers across multiple markets, or a smaller online retailer going global for the first time, our e-commerce delivery services will help you.
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Metapack Group (UK to Channel Islands) Metapack provide Delivery Management Software to leading retailers, brands and delivery partners across the world. In fact, 80% of the top 100 UK retailers and 1/3 of EU retailers use the Metapack platform. Founded in 1999 and wholly owned by Stamps.com, Metapack helps e-commerce and delivery professionals to meet growing consumer expectations of delivery, while maintaining and optimising operational efficiency. The Metapack platform integrates over 470 carriers and 5,500 delivery services - including Next Day, Click and Collect, Locker Boxes and International Delivery. Thanks to Metapack, more than 600 million packages are sent annually worldwide by many of the leading e-commerce retailers such as ASOS, House of Fraser, John Lewis, Wiggle, Marks & Spencer, Sports Direct, Halfords, and L’Occitane. Metapack is used as the benchmark standard to the e-retail industry. Every year Metapack host The Delivery Conference, the original and best attended event dedicated to e-commerce and Delivery. Metapack has offices in UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Poland, US & Hong Kong.
ReBOUND Retuens (Returns) ReBOUND is transforming the way the e-commerce industry thinks about returns by offering a truly intelligent returns experience, globally. Their end to end managed returns service is trusted by leading brands such as ASOS, Gymshark, Mango, Charles Tyrwhitt and hundreds more. ReBOUND’s total focus on developing innovative returns solutions has fast made them the fashion industry’s standard. ReBOUND can help support retailer’s international growth by offering shoppers all over the world greater choice and convenience whilst empowering retailers to refund quicker and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. For any retailer looking to streamline the cross-border returns process, increase visibility of which items are being returned and understand the reasons why, ReBOUND’s multi-carrier returns platform can be implemented in just 24hrs. ReBOUND is revolutionising returns.
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August 2020
The UK’s first and one of the most successful fast fashion brands, ASOS, is completing their integration and will be live to island consumers in August 2020. ASOS ship up to 400 items a day to the Channel Islands and will be introducing a next day service via air, something that they’ve not been able to do with their current partner, DPD. We already ship about 400 returns a week back to the UK for this brand, which is 30% of their inbound parcels.
Think Hellofresh for pets! You may have seen the Scrumbles brand on Dragons Den, when Deborah Meaden offered them the investment they were looking for, but for a greatly increased percentage of the business. Scrumbles declined the offer, left the dragons shocked and left the den! Two years on, without the investment, they are one of the UK’s largest Pet Food subscription businesses and ship over 12,000 boxes around the UK weekly.
If you watch Love Island, you’ll recognise Missguided as one of the main sponsors. We’ll be starting with their deliveries and returns in August and if you’ve got young teenagers in your house, I’m sure they’ll be delighted that Jersey Post are starting to work with this fast fashion brand.
As a pet-loving group of islands, I think this is a great brand to be partnering with and as an organic producer, gives our pets something healthy as well!
NEW BUSINESS While the world closed down due to Covid, not only were our Posties and office staff providing a world class service to our island, but our UK sales team was having some good conversations with retailers, all of whom are waking up to the opportunities of offer an online service to the Channel Islands and partnering with the outstanding delivery services of Jersey Post. So, what’s coming down the tracks in terms of new customers?
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September 2020
Beyond September
We’ve been collecting their coffee capsules for nearly a year now, but in August, they’ll start to deliver the real thing with us, little pots of roasted goodness. Currently using UPS, Nespresso deliver about 90 boxes across the islands a day and we’ll also be servicing their concessions in the Island’s department stores.
We’ll be starting with returns for this household name in August, allowing Islanders to return their John Lewis purchases to our Post Offices and to the Waitrose stores on-Island. We’ll also be developing a click and collect service for them, as well as looking at their household deliveries by Christmas 2020. This is a great brand for us to be associated with.
BooHoo, Sainsbury Tu, Office Depot, New Look, Dyson and WH Smith are all about to start their journey with Jersey Post, hopefully delivering to the island by the end of September 2020.
It gets tough to bring on new business as we enter the peak season, but we’re having some really great conversations with retailers who want to ship to the Channel Islands, but still have a few internal issues to overcome. But to give you a flavour of who we hope to be trading with after September and into 2021, some examples are: Lacoste, Matalan, Gymshark, Office Depot, KCS Education, M&S and Nescafe to name but a few. Thank you all for your support in helping to make the partnerships a reality.
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What Is Atlas?
Features
• An innovative cloud-based 4PL platform to promote all of the Jersey Post Group products, both postal and commercial
• Customer front-end portal including reporting, address book and file upload
• A platform to reach further demographics and Customer types linking 5 continents • A state-of-the-art platform to allow anyone from anywhere to buy a 4PL service or product from the Jersey Post Global Logistics network • A platform that is safe, secure, scalable and appropriate • Atlas fuses the Jersey Post global Network on a singular platform that encompasses the business products, integrations and associated offerings • Atlas enables the evolution of Jersey Post and its Customers • Atlas has been designed and crafted in-house
• Real time Global Visibility of Network activity • Next generation tracking technology • Innovative API’s allowing super-fast connections that are easy to connect to • Multi-carrier integration enabling dynamic multi-carrier switch • Multi-language and currency • Postal service and commercial agnostic • Duties and Tax calculation and collection portal • HS6 code, prohibited/restricted goods and denied parties scanning capability powered by AI • Mobile capability • Single view of ‘The Global Network Customer’
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As a result of the implementation of Atlas within Jersey Post, it has subsequently uncovered numerous legacy administration inefficiencies. One of which is the manual and problematic process that happens with the upload of international postal routing into IPS, critical to the enabling of outbound despatches from our global offices including Jersey. Traditionally the routing has been manual which requires a significant amount of time to complete and leads to manual errors.
A project with Tricia Cowburn and Leigh Mullins has led Will Rayer from IT to diligently build an automated system of uploading and validating the routes into IPS. This system now saves up to 200+ man hours per year, many more in times of changing business needs and this now leads to a substantial increase to the data quality by automating the routes into IPS.
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CHAMPION GOLFER CELEBRATED ON JERSEY STAMPS
Harry Vardon 1870 – 1937
A sporting stamp issue honours Jersey born golf legend, Harry Vardon, with a set of six stamps and a Miniature Sheet issued by Jersey Post on 9 July 2020. 2020 marks the 150th birth anniversary of worldrenowned golfer Harry Vardon. Vardon became Champion Golfer of the Year of The Open in 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911 and then again in 1914, at the age of 44. He also became USGA US Open Champion in 1900. Vardon’s career extended to almost forty years throughout which he won a record of 62 major golf tournaments, including what is reported to be an amazing run of 14 consecutive wins. No other golfer from the British Isles has won more majors. With this record, Vardon proved himself to be one of golf’s greatest ever players.
The stamps and miniature sheet feature photographs of Harry Vardon throughout his career. Chris Elligott, Jersey Post’s Philatelic Design and Production Manager explains: “Jersey is rightfully very proud of Vardon, whose record ranks him amongst the greatest golfers of all time. One of only four golfers from the British Isles to have won both The Open and the US Open, Vardon features on the Miniature Sheet together with one of the others to achieve the same feat, fellow Jerseyman and dual Open winner Ted Ray. This year also commemorates 100 years since Ted Ray’s US Open win.”
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Born on 9 May 1870, in the Parish of Grouville, Jersey, Vardon was one of eight children, including younger brothers Tom and Alfred, both of whom would also become professional golfers. He started to take an interest in golf when a course was built in the parish in which he lived. Vardon did not receive any professional golf lessons but, in his late teens, he entered a few tournaments, getting his first break in the in the Caddies Competition run by the Committee Club at the Royal Jersey Golf Club. It wasn’t until Vardon saw his younger brother Tom making a career out of the sport that he decided to follow the same path. Vardon had his first golf success as an amateur golfer in 1890. Later that year, at the age of 20, he left Jersey to pursue a golfing career further afield, taking the position of Club Professional at Studley Royal Golf Club, Ripon, Yorkshire, then to Bury Golf Club until 1896 when he moved to join Ganton Golf Club, Scarborough. It was during the same year that Vardon won the first of his six Open Championships at Muirfield.
LIMITED EDITION SOUVENIR COIN In tribute to the champion golfer, Jersey Post have released a stunning 24-carat gold plated souvenir coin which features the design of Vardon’s medal from his first win at The Open in 1896. The reverse shows Vardon driving off the tee, together with a list of his six wins in The Open and his US Open win. Harry Vardon’s Open winners medals hold pride of place in the Jersey Museum as part of the Jersey Heritage collection, Chris Elligott, Jersey Post’s Philatelic Design and Production Manager explains the concept: “We have worked with Jersey Heritage and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews to produce a stunning gold plated limited edition souvenir coin in celebration of Vardon’s greatest golfing achievements.” Strictly limited edition, with only 150 available worldwide, the commemorative souvenir coin comes beautifully presented in an oak presentation box and is accompanied by a numbered certificate of authentication.
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CONGRATULATIONS ON 45 YEARS AT JERSEY POST! Jersey Post are delighted to congratulate Alan Vardon on 45 years of service at Jersey Post!
Alan Vardon is also the great-great-nephew of golfing legend Harry Vardon, Jersey Post were thrilled to present him with a stunning Harry Vardon gold-plated souvenir coin, stamps and miniature sheet presentation pack in honour of his years of service. At the presentation, Alan had this to say: “I’m really honoured to be presented the gold coin and set of stamps and think it’s a great thing Harry Vardon has been celebrated in this way.” Similar to his great-great-uncle, Alan has inherited his fondness for golf and even uses the famous Vardon grip himself! Coincidentally, Alan’s son is named Harry Vardon but, ironically, doesn’t share his family’s love for the sport…
150TH BIRTH
Alan started out training to be a plumber before realising it wasn’t the right for fit for him. It so happened the postal service must have been in his genes; his father worked at Jersey Post for 31 years and guided Alan on his path to the postal industry.
Alan has experienced several decades of change at Jersey Post and when asked what were the biggest, he shared that originally Jersey Post was called Jersey Postal Services in reflection of the employees back then, coming from a military background. He also said a great benefit to the company has been its switch to electric vans, and remembered how different the service was all those years ago without the technological advances of the letter and parcel sorting machines. He even recalled the rule that banned radios in vans due to the risk of distraction. Jersey Post is now a very different, more progressive and more efficient environment.
7 VARDON 1870 -193 HARRY AN NIVERSARY
Alan originally started out at Jersey Post as a Telegram Boy, on what he thought would be a temporary career stop until he found his passion, it turned out he loved working here so much his service continues nearly five decades later.
JERSEY STAMPS PACK PRESENTATION
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SPOTLIGHT ON
LOUISE FLYNN Operations Manager of Vaiie Life altering tech event: The mind-blowing entrance of the ‘world wide web’!
Most interesting read/watch of the last 12 months: ‘Becoming’ by Michele Obama. What a role model.
Background: Having been brought up in the hospitality environment, I am confident in my dealings with people in a varied range of situations. Consequently, I thrive on working within, and leading, a team working in a busy and fast-paced environment. Having run my own family business, I value the ‘behind the scenes’ effort that takes place and get a great sense of satisfaction seeing well deserved results arise from a collaborative team effort.
What you are most looking forward to about joining Vaiie: I am very much looking forward to joining the Vaiie team. Having worked alongside Vaiie in my current role; I know I am joining a dynamic, professional and enjoyable bunch of individuals. It will be great to get to know the team properly. It seems 2020 has presented many of us with personal and professional challenges. Much of this has been difficult to navigate but I am a firm believer that we must embrace the opportunities that arise out of adversity. These are exciting times for Vaiie and I can’t wait to be a part of the journey.
Responsibilities: As Operations Manager, I work closely with our Managing Director to lead the outputs of our digital studio. I work with the product and development teams to scope, plan and budget our products to ensure projects are delivered to the highest possible standard. I am responsible for overseeing multiple clients and projects from concept through to implementation.
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ADVISORY PANEL Vaiie, our Pan-Island communication and regulatory technology business, has created a three-member advisory panel to provide strategic advice and input into the digital, financial and regulatory sectors to support the companies ambitious growth plans. We launched Vaiie in January 2020, following a rebrand from Jersey Post Digital. Identifying the current growth opportunities in the management of regulatory processes (RegTech), Vaiie supports organisations to integrate technology to operate more efficiently by digitising traditional practises and processes. The company has been successfully supporting financial services organisations to reduce costs and improve internal processes through the provision of three core services: RegTech, Communication and Enterprise Portals.
“We’re delighted to have brought together this outstanding group of industry leaders. Ranging from digital, financial, regulatory compliance and cyber-security, they will provide expert advice and input into our strategy.” Lee Bosio Managing Director of Vaiie
The advisory panel includes: Ricky Magalhaes Head of Offshore Security at Logicalis Jersey. Ricky is an international cyber-security expert, evangelist and strategist. He works globally at a board level with customers, vendors and partners to define strategy, roadmap and exit, adding positive value.
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The panel members will meet several times a year as a key working group to provide innovative advice and dynamic perspectives to Vaiie’s products and services. To learn more about each panellist and the wider Vaiie team, visit: www.vaiie.com/about-us/meet-our-people.
Helen Hatton Managing Director of BDO Sator Consulting.
Aaron Chatterley Co-founder of Feelunique. Aaron led a partial sale of the Feelunique to private equity and stepped aside as CEO. He remains a shareholder and member of the board. He is an active investor in several tech and disruptive businesses and is a non-executive director of Digital Jersey, KYC Global Technologies, Jersey Post Group and Gardening Direct.
Helen is Chairman of BDO Group and is widely recognised as the prime architect of the modern Jersey regulatory regime. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Banking Regulation and member of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers. She is an international speaker on regulatory compliance topics and regularly publishes papers on regulatory matters. Following the Vaiie advisory panel appointment, the Jersey Post Group has welcomed Helen Hatton as a non-executive director on the Board.
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CMO UPDATE Earlier in 2020 in was agreed that our current international pricing system, IPP, no longer meets the business needs as Jersey Post continues to grow globally. It was therefore decided to replace the system and rebuild an entirely new pricing platform for our international business as Phase One of the project and further development for Jersey Post’s other Business Units going forward.
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The new system named JEM has taken many months of development and hard work from our suppliers, Stratford Consultancy as well as our own internal resource and the final product went live in May 2020 for our international team. JEM is much more simplistic to use than its predecessor, allowing Jersey Post to allocate rate cards to our international partners in a more timely manner, which previously was a challenging, time consuming and tedious task. It also allows for more flexibility with the way we create rate cards. All these benefits allow for an overall more streamlined process and place Jersey Post in a stronger position to win new business and support international growth. Phase Two of the project and onwards will further develop the system and expand its use locally through introducing this for Logistics, Vaiie, Retail and more. We will also be looking at introducing the product across our global network by implementing the system for our international partners such as APG and allow for benefits realised by our international team to be realised by our partners and Jersey Post as a whole. Once the system is being used by a number of our business units, Jersey Post will look at using JEM to assist with billing of our customers. This has also been proven to be extremely time-consuming with numerous different invoicing processes for our customers identified through Seal the Pipeline. The introduction of JEM for invoicing will standardise and largely automate the process for all our customers across Jersey Post. We would like to thank the project team and everyone involved with the creation and deployment of this system and appreciate all the hard work that has gone into this.
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COMMUNITY
STUDENT PARCELS UK TO JERSEY SERVICE With many students forced to leave their belongings behind when returning home earlier in the year, we are pleased that, through our extended network partners Parcel Monkey and Fraser Freight, we were able to offer delivery options at affordable discounted rates throughout June 2020.
We worked in partnership with the Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department to help students, who study away from the Island, get their belongings back from student accommodation. We came up with the following solutions: Students could use Parcel Monkey to arrange a UK to Jersey postal service for pre-packed items up to 30kg. Parcel Monkey offered a discount to students throughout June entitling them to a 25% discount. This meant a 30kg package cost just £13. To transport larger items, such as furniture, back to the Island, Ship2me could be used with promotional code STUDENT25 to receive a 25% discount. Student needed to arrange delivery of their items to the Ship2me depot in Portsmouth. Students who were unable to pack their belongings before they returned to Jersey, and were then unable to return to the UK, could use the services of White and Company which has branches across the British Isles. Students could arrange directly with White and Company
for them to enter their UK accommodation and pack-up their belongings, which would then be shipped all the way to Jersey via their Portsmouth hub.
“It must be very concerning for students who were forced to leave their possessions behind when they returned to Jersey following the outbreak of Covid-19. I’m delighted that Jersey Post has worked with its partners on a range of options to help students get their belongings home.” Deputy Jeremy Maçon, Assistant Minister for Education
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ECO
WE’D LIKE YOUR FEEDBACK This year we are working hard on an eco strategy to help further our progress as an eco-friendly business as we work towards our ultimate goals of having a 100% electric fleet and, eventually, being a carbon neutral business.
We’d like to hear your input!
What do we do well? What could we do better? What new measures would you like to see brought in? And any other ideas or thoughts you may have! Please email your answers to newsletter@jerseypost.com
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CYCLING THE PANAMERICAN HIGHWAY
Tim wasn’t the only one from Jersey Post to appear in the JEP recently – Keith Davis, our Business Systems Analyst in IT, also made it into the local paper to talk about his recent trip of a lifetime.
TRAVELLING
PAN-AMERICA HIGHWAY
A unique experience - see the world, meet the people, taste the food, experience the climates, encounter the animals and take in the views. It’s also an experience in living without many of the things that we take for granted in day-to-day life: home, safety, internet access, communication, security, healthcare, money and of course friends and family. I’ve read this sort of thing many times in travel books, wondering how much of it was really true? It is all this and more - nothing prepares you for a stranger’s spontaneous generosity, or praying for your safety.
A well travelled road - every few years a road trip program crops up on TV; from adventurer Mark Beaumont (Alaska to Ushuaia), comedians Dara O’Briain and Ed Byrne (Arizona to Panama), or earlier this year the second series of Race Across the World (Mexico City to Ushuaia). While it was slightly disappointing to see Mark Beaumont steal “my idea”, it was good to see that it wasn’t a totally crazy idea, and that it was possible to cycle all the way (or at least most of it).
ROAD TRIP For many years I wanted to go on a big tour, a challenge, to travel across a continent, or even an “Intercontinental Tour” crossing more than one continent. Taking this to the limit, it’s tempting to think that the longest road trip would be from Cape Town to the eastern most point of Russia. But it’s not as far as you’d think - the road runs out 2,000km before the edge of Russia. There’s also the distortion of the Plate Carrée Equirectangular projection that makes this route look longer than it really is. On the left hand side of the world map there is another route, from the top of North America to the bottom of South America - a distance of 24,000km (15,000 miles), a shade longer than crossing Africa/Asia. It also stands out as a relatively direct route, from North to South, along a road called the Pan American Highway. A chance encounter in Mexico with George Martinet - recognised by millions as the voice of Nintendo’s Mario
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Smiles, laughter and generosity despite the natural disaster (Viru, Peru)
Road-side interview in southern Mexico
... they weren’t joking!
Welcome to Alaska ...
WHY GO BY BICYCLE?
MOTIVATION
After cycling through many countries on most continents, I can definitely say that cycling is the best way to see a country. Even at a low average speed, you cover a far greater distance than by walking. But you are also going slow enough to easily stop and smell the roses, things that would be missed if travelling by car or bus. On a bike you can also carry enough gear and provisions to be self-sufficient in more remote areas for almost a week. This freedom was very liberating, until I started going uphill! Keeping the weight down meant only taking essentials, a refreshing change from life’s normal clutter. Food. Oh yes, food. Anyone who has cycled any distance will know the pleasures of stopping at a cafe for a snack - and on a long distance tour you can easily double your energy requirements. Over 12,000 miles, that’s a lot of cake! There are many other advantages to travelling by bike - cycling is global, so any large town will have a bike shop for spares and repairs. A bike’s light weight and small size makes it relatively easy to take as luggage on a bus, coach, boat or airplane. This was essential in flying over the Darien Gap, crossing flooded rivers, and getting to the start and back home. The openness of a bike, the lack of windscreen, also made it easier wave and say “Hi!” and “Hola!” to people as I passed.
Reasons for going traveling are varied and personal e.g. to explore, to escape, to raise money for charity, to break a world record, as a personal challenge or to just live a dream! For myself it was curiosity: if I took a year out and started at the top, how far would my body, resourcefulness and determination take me? If I didn’t make it all the way, what would stop me? (How did I get on? That’s another story!) Whether it’s a day trip to France, around The World or just a pootle out to Corbière, cycling is by far the best way to see the world!
Cycling has also been my main mode of transport since I was 17 and couldn’t drive because of Epilepsy (that’s another story!). On a recumbent bike? Well, if I’m going to be cycling for 9 months, I want to be comfortable! It also turned out to be a great icebreaker, meeting 100s of people along the way.
A heart-in-your-mouth moment: being overtaken by an articulated lorry carrying an explosive load just before a blind corner at the top of a sheer cliff with broken railings! Nice view though.
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MEET THE TEAM St Saviour & Trinity delivery officers Thomas Greechan Head Deliveries Manager
ST SAVIOUR Martin Staines Area: Georgetown, Bon Air Lane Time at Jersey Post: 18 years Favourite part of the job: Meeting people on the rounds What has it been like working through Covid-19? It’s been strange – the roads were so empty at first and it’s been very busy in here, but you got to meet a lot more people with everyone staying at home.
Natasha McCabe Area: Bagatelle Road, Grand Vaux, Rue des Pres Time at Jersey Post: 29 years Favourite part of the job: Meeting the customers and free exercise! What has it been like working through Covid-19? Busy!!! But the customers have been great and very appreciative.
Claire De Gruchy Area: Maufant Vineries Time at Jersey Post: 1 year Favourite part of the job: Being out and about, seeing the world What has it been like working through Covid-19? Intense! It’s been really busy and tricky with the split start times, but it seems to be dying down a bit now.
Time at Jersey Post: 19 years Favourite part of the job: Making sure everything gets delivered to the customers every day. What has it been like working through Covid-19? I was working from home for the first 3-4 weeks, but the guys have been brilliant and just got on with it and got the job done. The volumes have been through the roof!
TRINITY Gary McCracken Area: Bouley Bay, Rozel, Trinity main road Time at Jersey Post: 20 years Favourite part of the job: The people I work with What has it been like working through Covid-19? It’s been busy and challenging, but very satisfying.
Alex Romeril Area: Bouley Bay, Rozel, Trinity main road Time at Jersey Post: 10 years Favourite part of the job: DOGS! Plus the customers and being outside (in Summer!) What has it been like working through Covid-19? Madness - like early Christmas! It’s been challenging at times.
Colin McDougall Area: Valley des Vaux, Clos de Mon Sejour, La Route d’Ebenezer, La Rue de la Garenne Time at Jersey Post: 16 years Favourite part of the job: Being outside What has it been like working through Covid-19? It’s been heavy, but we’ve got through it. The customers have been really nice and supportive.
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WHAT’S NEW New Starters We’d like to give a warm welcome to our recent new starters:
Louise Flynn
Vic Lindsey
Operations Manager of Vaiie
IT Security and Compliance (In-house change)
Long servers Congratulations to our resident ‘Long Servers’ for the following recent work anniversaries.
Thanks for your many years of hard work.
YEARS
10
YEARS
10
YEARS
10
YEARS
10
20 YEARS
Christine Jones
Bruce Carnegie
Lynn Josse
Anne-Marie Midgley
Nicholas Benest
20 YEARS
20 YEARS
20 YEARS
20 YEARS
25 YEARS
25 YEARS
Peter Carr
Keith Taylor
Ian Elliot
Mark MitchellGosselin
Jason Le Boutillier
Craig Vautier
Rewards & Recognition Congratulations and thank you to all our recent R&R winners: Jerome Taylor
Lynn Josse
Cristian Constantin
For going the extra mile for a customer
For going the extra mile for a customer
For outstanding customer service
QUIZ For a chance to win a pair of cinema tickets, please send your answers to India Cook in Marketing or email newsletter@jerseypost.com 1. Which artist sings the latest Bond theme for No Time To Die? 2. What is the most sold flavour of Walker’s crisps? 3. Who is the main character in Catcher in the Rye? 4. What is the capital city of Iceland? 5. What’s longer, a nautical mile or a mile?
Good Luck!
Last month’s answers: 1. Dubai 2. 3 3. 2006 4. Clifton 5. Silverstone
6. Scoville Scale 7. Helsinki 8. -40* 9. Don Quixote 10. 118
Congratulations to last month’s winner, Frankie Getenet! Your prize will be ready for collection once the cinema reopens. Do you have any ideas, achievements or suggestions you’d like to tell us about? Let us know by emailing newsletter@jerseypost.com!