Too little demand: Swiss Post plans to discontinue same-day service at subsidiary notime
Swiss Post finances its operations in a self-sustaining way and ensures that its services meet the real needs of its customers. Despite the strength of online retail in general, demand for same-day delivery of parcels has remained below expectations. As a result, the service remained a niche product and Swiss Post is planning to discontinue the service offered by its subsidiary notime at the end of September 2025. The two companies are therefore launching a consultation process. They are doing everything they can to ensure that the associated staff reductions are implemented in as socially responsible a manner as possible. Swiss Post will offer alternative solutions to the business customers affected wherever possible.
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Remain financially sound
In order to remain financially sound in the long term and to provide a high-quality universal service without taxpayers’ money, Swiss Post continuously reviews the cost effectiveness of its services. This also applies to notime’s same-day service. Since 2018, Swiss Post and its subsidiary notime have been offering same-day delivery in the conurbations around various cities in German-speaking Switzerland and Western Switzerland. From the outset, however, few customers have made use of this option and there is a lack of willingness to pay for the service. Notime makes annual losses. After intensive review, Swiss Post has come to the conclusion that, also in the longer term, it could only offer the service from notime at a loss. For this reason, it intends to cease operations of notime (Schweiz) AG with effect from the end of September 2025.
Same-day has always remained a niche service
“Together with notime, we have examined various options for making the service profitable,” says Johannes Cramer, Head of Logistics Services and member of Swiss Post Executive Management. For example, Swiss Post has repeatedly analysed different price and cost structures. However, the fixed costs are too high to make operation of a same-day specialist financially viable. The service has remained a niche product and there are no signs of a trend reversal with regard to demand for same-day services.
Swiss Post offers business customers alternatives
In the event of closure of notime (Schweiz) AG, based in Zurich, Swiss Post would, where possible, offer business customers the option of integration into Swiss Post’s existing delivery solutions. Swiss Post will be contacting all of the approximately 20 business customers who make use of same-day deliveries from notime. The same-day services offered directly by Swiss Post to business and private customers would not be affected by the planned discontinuation of notime. The SameDay Swiss afternoon and SameDay Swiss evening services, for example, would remain in place. Notime was founded in 2014 and started operations in 2015. In 2018, Swiss Post acquired a majority stake in the company. It acquired the remaining shares in 2021.