European courier company CityMail is expanding its postal delivery services to Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and other GCC countries.
The company, which has been operating in Dubai since last year, delivers mail to a home or office within 24 hours of its reaching a customer's Emirates Post PO box. It takes a monthly fee for the service.
"The mailbox system in the UAE and other GCC countries is unique. Unlike the postal systems in advanced countries, where postal material is delivered directly to a residential or commercial address, there is no such address system in the region," CityMail Director Darko Dumancic told Emirates Business.
"Mail goes only to the boxes located in major post offices. About 60 per cent of the mailboxes in Dubai are at the main Karama Post Office. As the postal service is not based on a direct address system, CityMail has created its own address code system," he said.
CityMail – which has an agreement with Emirates Post – also provides sorting and other mailroom services. It promises full confidentiality to customers.
Unlike other courier companies that focus on large firms, CityMail offers residential customers direct home delivery of postal materials for between Dh99 and Dh199 per month. The maximum charge for business customers is Dh499 per month.
"In the current economic slowdown companies that are cutting back on drivers and other staff are using our service. Instead of visiting the post office once a week our clients get their mail every day," Dumancic said.
"Residents or company employees should not waste their time in traffic or at a post office collecting mail when a specialised service is available for a small fee."
CityMail's corporate client list includes major names such as Nakheel, Emaar, Jumeirah Islands, Movenpick Hotels and Resorts, Hyatt, Costa Coffee and Hamptons.
The service is available to companies in Internet City, Jebel Ali Free Zone, Jumeirah, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Knowledge Village, Media City, Trade Centre, Al Barsha, Al Quoz, Al Wasl, Bur Dubai, Business Bay, Dubai Investment Park, Emaar Business Park and Festival City.
CityMail covers residential buildings and areas such as Jumeirah Lake Towers, the Palm Jumeirah, Sheikh Zayed Road, Discovery Gardens, the Gardens, the Greens, the Lakes, the Meadows, the Springs, Umm Suqeim, Arabian Ranches, Burj Dubai, Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills, Festival City, International City, Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Residence and Jumeirah Islands.
Saudi Arabia is the only GCC country that delivers mail directly, but the service is available only in large cities. In the UAE, Emirates Post is developing a direct delivery system using a new address system.
Dumancic said: "Emirates Post had a project but such a direct home delivery system would need a couple of billion dirhams of investment.
"Now we are offering similar services and we have expansion plans in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi within the UAE.
"In other GCC countries, we are holding talks about direct mail deliveries with Q-Post in Qatar Post. In Bahrain we are discussing offering our services to a few big developers. The company's expansion plans up to 2010 include providing direct mail delivery services in Saudi Arabia, Serbia, the UK, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Turkey, Qatar, Bahrain, Singapore, Russia, Angola and Australia."
Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the daily Emirates Business 24|7 newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here.