The British Post Office, London, has purchased the Paris-based Crie group of postal companies that specializes in the delivery of domestic French and international express mail.
The acquisition is the fifth international purchase in one year by the post office. Further deals are under consideration, the postal service said in a statement.
The deal to acquire the group of companies represents an investment of approximately six million pounds sterling with the potential for further payments based on future commercial performance of the business.
The Crie group comprises:
* Crie S.A, a French domestic and international express mail operation
* Redmail S.A, a delivery service for addressed mail and postal items in the Paris area
* Systeme C S.A, which provides facilities management and mailroom services
* Crie Multi Services S.A, which is dedicated to international mail services
This acquisition follows the acquisition last November of Citipost Group, the New York-based document-delivery company, which has operations in Europe and North America.
The British Post Office is the parent of Royal Mail.
