An Post Services and Ventures in Ireland

An Post is Ireland's national postal service, with a rich history dating back to 1784. It's been a cornerstone of Irish communication for nearly two and a half centuries.

An Post has a wide range of services, including postal services, financial services, and retail services. This variety allows the company to cater to a broad range of customers.

An Post has a significant presence in rural Ireland, with post offices in many small towns and villages. This ensures that people in these areas have access to essential services.

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An Post offers a range of services, including banking services in conjunction with Allied Irish Banks. This was introduced in 2003 as part of their An Post Transaction Services business.

You can also access Post Office services at newsagents through their PostPoint service, which was originally formed in 2000 to sell mobile phone top-ups over-the-counter.

An Post runs a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) using Vodafone's Irish network, allowing customers to access mobile services under the An Post Mobile brand.

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An Post Transaction Services was set up in 2003 to run its post office and transaction services business, with a new division called PostTS.

It rebranded its post offices network as "Post Office" or "Oifig an Phoist" with a new, white-and-red logo, introducing banking services in conjunction with Allied Irish Banks.

This followed the introduction of a service called PostPoint, which allowed newsagents to provide some Post Office services.

PostPoint was originally formed in 2000 to sell mobile phone top-ups over-the-counter to Eircell subscribers.

In 2005, PostTS sold its foreign operations, reversing the rebranding effort and restoring the traditional An Post logo to Post Offices.

Between 2005 and 2006, An Post sold its interest in the Post TS UK and An Post Transaction Services businesses to Alphyra for a reported €59.3m.

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An Post offers a mobile service through its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which uses Vodafone's Irish network.

You can use An Post's mobile service as an alternative to traditional mobile providers.

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An Post's mobile service allows you to stay connected on the go, just like any other mobile network.

In 2009, An Post sponsored a project called "C Both Sides", which involved creating postcards on different themes, but this isn't directly related to their mobile service.

An Post Mobile uses Vodafone's Irish network, so you can expect similar coverage and reliability.

An Post's mobile service is a convenient option for those who want a simple, no-frills mobile plan.

Bank services are available at post offices in Ireland.

You can conduct some counter business with AIB, Bank of Ireland, and Ulster Bank at post offices.

The Post Office network has a joint venture with Fortis and BNP Paribas to provide financial services.

Postbank, a joint venture between An Post, Fortis, and BNP Paribas, was created to offer daily banking and other financial products.

Postbank was known as Postbank Ireland Limited and operated from 2007 to 2010.

The Postbank unit was wound down by the end of 2010.

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An Post is committed to maintaining parcel services to the US despite new taxes imposed by the US government.

The US government is ending the tax-free 'de minimus' allowance for parcel contents of less than $800 in value being posted from Europe on August 29.

This change will only affect mail items containing goods, not regular letters or documents.

Irish business customers who sell goods into the US through the postal service are being directly contacted by An Post.

Traditional letters and cards to the US will continue to be carried as normal, as will clearly marked personal gifts up to a value of $100 (€85), provided all necessary customs documentation has been completed at the post office.

An Post is actively seeking a solution for Irish companies selling into the US through the postal service to keep trade routes open.

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An Post has faced legal proceedings over the quality of its service, with the Commission for Communications Regulation launching a case in February 2012. An Post expressed puzzlement at the decision.

In August 2018, it was announced that all post offices serving communities of fewer than 500 people would be closed, excluding offshore islands. This decision affected 159 branches.

However, local campaigns in Ballinskelligs, Cliffoney, and Ballycroy managed to spare three of these branches from closure.

In February 2012, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) launched legal proceedings against An Post over the quality of its service.

An Post was puzzled by the decision, which suggests they didn't see it coming.

All post offices serving communities of fewer than 500 people (excluding offshore islands) were to be closed in August 2018.

However, three of these 159 branches were spared closure following local campaigns at Ballinskelligs (Kerry), Cliffoney (Sligo), and Ballycroy (Mayo).

The fact that these branches were saved is a testament to the power of community activism.

An Post is involved in a number of joint venture operations and also has several subsidiaries. It has complete ownership of some of these.

The An Post National Lottery Company is one of the subsidiaries it has complete ownership of. An Post also has ownership in the Prize Bond Company Limited, which is a joint venture.

Some of the subsidiaries are fully owned by An Post, while others are part-owned.

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