Agreement bpost has no impact on newspaper distribution in Brussels

The publishers and press distributors – led by bpost and challenger PPP – are conducting negotiations on how home delivery of newspapers and magazines should proceed after June 30, when the transition period for direct subsidies to bpost ends.

The postal company today announced an agreement with the Flemish publishers on newspaper distribution from July 1. This concerns a volume equal to approximately 75 percent of the current volumes that bpost distributes in Flanders. The most important novelty is that from 2025, delivery will no longer be a task for the postmen, but for AMP, a subsidiary of bpost.

“AMP will call on subcontractors for this purpose, and the latter will only work with permanent employees for the distribution of the newspapers,” bpost said in a press release. In this way, the postal company hopes to respond to the concerns of trade unions, who are concerned about social dumping. The transition to the new system will be gradual, the management assures.

But what does all this mean for the distribution in the Brussels region, which is today in the hands of PPP? Nothing for the time being, because the bpost agreement only applies to Flanders.

“PPP is today the only newspaper distributor in Brussels and will remain so until further notice,” says the press distributor from Ganshoren. “In any case, it is status quo until June 30. After that, it is the publishers who have to determine who should distribute their newspapers where,” bpost said.

French-speaking publishers

For the distribution in Brussels and Wallonia, the negotiations between the French-speaking publishers with bpost, PPP and possibly other press distributors respectively are crucial.

PPP, which is based in the industrial zone of Ganshoren, has specialized in home delivery in urban areas, but French-speaking publishers are dissatisfied with the service, they reported at the end of last year.

“Discussions with French-speaking publishers are continuing, with the aim of securing maximum volumes and finding solutions to guarantee job security for employees under permanent contracts,” bpost said.