Vacancies online: More than 140 places have no post office

Vacancies online
More than 140 places have no post office

09.09.2024, 05:23

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Every German should have a post office nearby. The government rule is causing problems for the DHL Group. In July, for example, there were gaps at more than 140 mandatory locations. But a surprising innovation is supposed to improve the situation.

Deutsche Post still has fewer branches in rural areas than it needs. In July, there were 141 so-called unoccupied mandatory locations, 16 more than in February, the Federal Network Agency said in response to a query. According to a legal rule, the post office must have at least one branch in communities with more than 2,000 residents. In communities with more than 4,000 residents, the distance to the branch in connected residential areas must not be more than two kilometers.

With almost 13,000 post offices – most of which are kiosks and other retailers with post office counters – the Bonn-based company has a strong presence nationwide, exceeding the state requirement of a total of 12,000 branches. But in rural areas and on the outskirts of towns, the post office does not always comply with the distance rules.

Structural change in rural areas is a problem

According to the information, there were only 73 unoccupied mandatory locations in October 2023, which is only about half as many as in July of this year. However, this is not a trend, the value has only been fluctuating for a long time – in January 2023 there were 174 more than recently.

The reason for the logistics company’s difficulties is the structural change in rural areas: if the last supermarket or general store in a village closes and no other retailer is available as a partner, the branch location remains vacant. Sometimes it just takes a while until a partner is found.

A postal spokesman pointed out that setting up branches “is very challenging, especially in rural areas with a poorly developed retail infrastructure, and we must always expect branch partners to close their businesses.” It is therefore not unusual that the number of vacancies has increased. “We will continue to work intensively and in close dialogue with the mayors in the municipalities concerned to be present at all ‘mandatory locations’,” said the spokesman for the postal group DHL, whose national mail business operates under the Deutsche Post name.

Vending machines are getting bigger

The problem is likely to get worse next year. New rules in the postal law, which was recently amended, will come into effect at the turn of the year. Under certain circumstances, so-called post offices will also be counted towards meeting the mandatory requirement, which has not been the case so far. Post offices can be used to buy stamps, frank parcels, and drop off letters and parcels. There is also video advice. One advantage: the machines are available around the clock, but customers must adhere to the opening hours of post offices.

Of the 141 unoccupied mandatory locations in July, 27 locations had a vending machine – it was definitely possible to use postal services there. This shows that the figure will probably fall next year. However, the post office has to coordinate with local representatives on this and it needs the approval of the Federal Network Agency to count a vending machine towards the branch requirement. It would be a surprise if the agency were to take a stand on the issue: its boss, Klaus Müller, recently made generally positive comments about the vending machines.