Deutsche Post is renamed – in future it will only be called DHL Group. The group based in Bonn wants to emphasize how important foreign business is for it. This is not understood by everyone.
In the future, Deutsche Post will appear under the name DHL Group. As of July 1, the entire group will be managed under the brand name and the associated logo, which is known in Germany primarily for the parcel division of the same name. “The re-branding of some physical assets will take place over time to avoid additional costs,” it said.
According to the company, 90 percent of group sales already come from businesses under the DHL brand, including the parcel business in Germany. Only about a third of the approximately 600,000 employees are still active in the former core business, the delivery of letters and parcels in Germany.
“One of the most international companies in the world”
Other corporate divisions such as express, freight and supply chain services have grown in importance over time. “Today we are one of the most international companies in the world,” said CEO Tobias Meyer. We almost exclusively use the DHL brand in all markets outside of Germany,” says Meyer. The decision reflects the company’s transformation into an international logistics group in recent years.
The Post took the name DHL from the US parcel service founded in 1969 and sold to it in 2002. The three letters stand for its company founders Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn. The group has known as Deutsche Post DHL since 2009 and as Deutsche Post DHL Group since 2015.
company name changed several times
The Post had previously changed its name several times. The state-owned Deutsche Bundespost became Deutsche Post when it was privatized in the mid-1990s. Shortly thereafter, the company operated briefly as Deutsche Post World Net.
On the stock exchange, however, the group should continue to be called Deutsche Post AG. Changing this name would be too time-consuming because various contracts would then have to be changed, said Meyer. Only the stock exchange abbreviation will be changed from “DPW” to “DHL”.
Apparently there had been considerations in the group for a long time to delete the part of the name that was focused on the domestic market. This step was not taken under the long-time CEO Frank Appel – probably also out of consideration for the workforce in the core business. Tobias Meyer took over the post of CEO in May.
In the future, post will only have one stamp
Meyer emphasized that the Deutsche Post and DHL brands should continue to be used domestically as before. “We are very proud of Deutsche Post’s tradition, its rich heritage and history, which stretches back to the 15th century,” said the CEO. “We value the Deutsche Post brand and will continue to use it in joint branding with DHL.” According to the company, the renaming should not affect the service offering.
Nevertheless, the announcement was met with incomprehension in politics. The SPD member of the Bundestag Sebastian Roloff called the group’s decision incomprehensible. He doubts a benefit. Post boss Meyer defended the renaming. Sales in the mail business have been shrinking for years, while parcel delivery and other DHL services have increased. “What’s on it should be inside, and that’s DHL.”