Bulgaria’s Postal Services Market Grows 6.0% in 2012

Courier services sales grew by 10% to 161 million levs and accounted for 65% of the postal services market in 2012, up from 64% a year earlier, the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) said in an annual report posted on its website on June 4.

Revenue from universal postal services shrank by 1% to 49 million levs in 2012.The other postal services, such as courier deliveries, hybrid post and direct mail advertising, rose by 7% to 196 million levs.

Revenues from money transfers provided by postal services operators in 2012 grew by 3% to 7.15 million levs. The state-owned Bulgarian Posts controlled 85% of this segment.

Bulgarian Posts held 89% of the universal postal services, compared with 95% the year before, but 22.2% of the total sales, down from 23.6%. Private post operators licensed to do universal postal services -- Econt Express, M&BM Express, Tip Top Courier and Star Post held 31.6% of the postal services market, narrowing their presence by 0.5% from 2011.