Update 29 Sep 2024: SingPost closes 12 post offices in two years, pivots to new service model
Clementi Central Post Office at The Clementi Mall during its last day of operations on Sept 20
National postal service provider Singapore Post has closed 12 post offices, or one out of five branches, in the last two years.
This comes as the company struggles with declining mail volumes as most turn to electronic communication instead. Five of the shuttered post office branches were in malls, including Suntec City, Northpoint City and Westgate, while the rest were either standalone branches or found in community clubs, office buildings or Housing Board blocks. SingPost has 44 post offices remaining.
A SingPost spokesperson told The Straits Times that adjustments will be made to some post offices and locations to ensure postal services remain cost-effective and relevant. This is part of business transformation efforts to meet evolving consumer demands in a rapidly changing digital landscape, she said.
SingPost sets three-year deadline for transformation into a logistics player
The move, which comes after an eight-month-long review, could involve selling SingPost Centre in Paya Lebar
Through a multi-pronged strategy, SingPost will attempt to transform itself fully into a logistics company within three years, group chief executive Vincent Phang said during a review of the business on March 19.
The move, which comes after an eight-month-long review, could involve selling SingPost Centre in Paya Lebar, as well as a partial stake in its Australian business to improve shareholder returns. It will also see a change in the company’s dividend policy. These plans fall under the group’s strategy of managing capital more efficiently. This focus could see non-core assets – including the group’s SingPost Centre – divested and the sales proceeds used to pay down debt, invested in its faster growing businesses or returned to shareholders.
SingPost Centre was valued at $1.1 billion as at September 2023. Another initiative is the reorganisation of its business lines into geographic segments consisting of Australia – which accounts for around 60 per cent of the group’s revenue and profits – along with both Singapore and the international operations.
related:
SingPost issues stamps marking 165 years of postal services in Singapore
In celebration of 165 years of postal services, SingPost’s Philatelic Stores will provide special date stamps using gold-coloured ink & new SingPost stamps featuring five designs
From Monday, Singaporeans can buy a special set of five stamps issued to mark 165 years of postal services in Singapore.
The stamps, which will sell for between 60 cents and $1.50, showcase the transformation of Singapore’s postal services from the island’s colonial days to the globally connected city it is today, and feature key developments in the postal sector over the years, said SingPost in a statement on Monday. SingPost Singapore chief executive Neo Su Yin said: “From humble beginnings, postal services have evolved into a global network that connects Singapore to people and businesses across the globe.
The stamp designs were created by designer Wong Wui Kong and feature five themes:
- The colonial heritage - to mark the formation of an independent postal department in 1858.
- The first airmail arrives - to mark the arrival of Singapore’s first airmail in 1919.
- Making every delivery count - to mark the introduction of the first postal codes in 1950.
- Integrating new technologies - to mark the launch of the self-help smart locker station POPStation in 2013.
- A smarter and a more sustainable future - to highlight SingPost’s aim to use technology and sustainability to innovate its operations.
SingPost Issues Stamps Commemorating 165 Years of Postal Services in Singapore
Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) today issued a set of stamps to commemorate the 165 years of postal services in Singapore - Singapore Postal Services Over The Years. This stamp issue showcases how Singapore’s postal services has transformed over the course of its history, from the colonial days to nationhood, and a globally connected city today.
Illustrated by designer Mr Wong Wui Kong, the set of five stamps depict the transformation of Singapore’s postal services through a different lens, from a playful, isometric perspective. These miniature artworks present a bird’s eye view of a three-dimensional world featuring key developments of the postal service over the years. Ms Neo Su Yin, CEO Singapore, SingPost, said: “This stamp release celebrates the remarkable strides the postal services had made over the past 165 years. From humble beginnings, postal services have evolved into a global network that connects Singapore to people and businesses across the globe. Today, SingPost is embracing change and innovating for the future to continue playing a vital role in our society, delivering relevant essential services for the nation.”
The set of five stamps:
- 60c – The Colonial Heritage. In the early 19th century, mail was predominantly administered by the military when the British first arrived. As the colonial outpost prospered, demand for mail services surged. In 1858, an independent postal department was formally established to manage an ever-increasing mail volume. By the turn of the 20th century, Singapore had already flourished into a thriving gateway to the Far East. Mail and cable communication were transiting through the port city to reach major cities of the world.
- 80c – The First Airmail Arrives. In 1919, the first airmail landed in Singapore. The Vickers-Vimy biplane made a pit stop on the island while enroute from England to Australia. Letters that flew with it even had their covers hand stamped with a local cancellation. Surprisingly, it was a decade later in 1928 that the first official airmail flew direct from the city to London. After World War II ended, regular flight services resumed and a new airport in Paya Lebar was opened in 1955 to cater to burgeoning air traffic. A booming economic environment further fuelled the growth of airmail and courier services.
- 90c – Making Every Delivery Count. The first postal codes were introduced in 1950, with the island being demarcated into twenty-eight districts. Rapid development in the succeeding decades tripled the number of sectors to eighty-one. With this, postal codes that used to be in two-digit codes were adjusted to four-digit codes in 1979, and subsequently to a six-digit system in the mid-90s. In 1992, the postal administration was fully corporatised into Singapore Post, a singular commercial entity created to service a gradually maturing economy.
- $1.15 – Integrating New Technologies. The dawn of the new millennium paved the way for a new Mail Processing Centre in Eunos, which boasts an automated, state-of-the-art mail and parcel sorting facility. Changing lifestyles and the evolving business landscape also heralded a new generation of post offices, equipped with 24-hour self-service kiosks for the public to tap on essential services at any time of day. A self-help smart locker station, known as POPStation, was launched in 2013 to meet the increasing demands of a growing segment of eCommerce customers.
- $1.50 – A Smarter and A More Sustainable Future. SingPost embraced technology to stay ahead and build a smarter, highly connected, and more sustainable future through innovation. On the sustainability front, post offices and retail stores have long since ceased offering polythene bags to customers to stamp out the reliance on plastic usage. SingPost is also targeting to fully convert its fleet of internal combustion engine vehicles to electric scooters and vans by 2026, as part of its goals to reduce its carbon footprint. As we forge ahead into the future, our postal services will continue to evolve as new innovations and technologies reshape the way we live and communicate.
SINGPOST HOSTING AN OPEN HOUSE TO CELEBRATE 165 YEARS OF POSTAL SERVICES IN SINGAPORE
Singapore Post (SingPost) is currently hosting an Open House event, in conjunction with the celebration of the 165th anniversary of postal services in Singapore, which will give the public a behind-the-scenes glimpse of mail delivery.
Kicking off yesterday and running through to Sunday (1-4 June), the Open House was launched by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information at the SingPost Centre Atrium. Ms Neo Su Yin, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore, SingPost, said: “We are incredibly proud to be commemorating 165 years of our nation’s postal services, its remarkable progress, and the achievements of SingPost over the years. SingPost has made technological advancements, embraced innovation, and strived in our transformation journey to meet the evolving needs of our customers. Looking to the future, we remain steadfast in our commitment to connecting people and communities, supporting the communities that we serve, and Making Every Delivery Count for People and Planet.”
There will be with a series of activities, exhibition panels showcasing SingPost’s heritage, and the public can join in guided tours of SingPost’s mail processing centre. There will also be two booths presented by strategic partners – HSBC Life and the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s SG Digital Office (SDO).
SingPost Invites the Community to Celebrate 165 Years of Postal Services in Singapore at Its Open House
Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) will be hosting an Open House from 1-4 June 2023 in conjunction with the celebration of the 165th anniversary of postal services in Singapore. The Open House will see SingPost opening its doors to the public for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of mail delivery, showcasing what it takes to bring mail from the posting box right into the letterbox.
The SingPost Open House will be launched by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information at the SingPost Centre Atrium on 1 June 2023. SingPost invites its customers and the wider community to join the celebrations of its rich heritage and evolution of the nation’s postal services at the SingPost Open House.
Ms Neo Su Yin, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore, SingPost, said: “We are incredibly proud to be commemorating 165 years of our nation’s postal services, its remarkable progress, and the achievements of SingPost over the years. SingPost has made technological advancements, embraced innovation, and strived in our transformation journey to meet the evolving needs of our customers. Looking to the future, we remain steadfast in our commitment to connecting people and communities, supporting the communities that we serve, and Making Every Delivery Count for People and Planet.”
SingPost is giving households free booklet of 10 stamps
SingPost recently said that it will raise postage rates for standard regular mail by almost 65 per cent from Oct 9. To help households manage increased costs, it will issue a first local booklet of 10 first local stamps to each household from the end of October. SingPost told CNA that it will provide return options for households who do not want or need the stamps, to reduce wastage.
When I read this, my first thought was: Do people still use stamps? I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have sent mail over the past year - once for an insurance claim that required sending in original invoices, and another time when I mailed my new book to a friend.
With digitisation, we no longer rely on mail for things like correspondence or paying bills. Organisations that need to send documents and statements have largely gone paperless and many things that used to require mailing can now be done online. But as these stamps will be issued to households, I wonder if people still send mail to friends and loved ones.
New postage rates @ 51 cents wef 9 Oct 2023
SingPost's domestic delivery rates from Oct 9, 2023. (Image: SingPost)
Singapore Post Limited (“SingPost’ or the “Group”) today announced that the rate for standard regular mail will be increased by 20 cents to 51 cents, up from the current 31 cents to reflect the escalating costs of maintaining the postal service. The new rates are effective 9 October 2023. The last significant rate incrementwas nine years ago in 2014 when postage increased from 22 cents to 30 cents.
SingPost will introduce upcoming changes to simplify the domestic postage rate structure, including the elimination of the weight criteria, to make postal services more user-friendly, enhancing the customer experience and provide greater convenience. Starting from end-October 2023, SingPost will issue a 1st Local stamp booklet (of 10 stamps) to each household to help manage the postage increase. The global structural decline in postal volumes over the last decade brought about by digital disruption has impacted the commercial viability of postal firms globally. Between FY2018/19 and FY2022/23, mail volumes declined by more than 40%. This rate adjustment will help address the loss caused by the persistent decline in postal volumes coupled with costlier labour, utilities, fuel, and higher conveyance expenses.
This rate increment is necessary for SingPost to continue serving its obligations as Singapore’s public postal licensee while allowing further exploration of a more sustainable postal business model in the long term, balancing the need to remain viable while safeguarding the interests of its shareholders.
