La Poste poised to take full control over Masterlink

Polish courier company Masterlink is currently half owned by Swedish post Posten AB, with the other 50% in the hands of French La Poste. Thanks to this fact, Masterlink has access to the second largest logistics network in Europe, Direct Parcel Distribution. According to Rzeczpospolita, the Swedish partner is changing its strategy and is now ready to sell its stake in Masterlink to La Poste. "We do not comment on such information," said Posten's spokesman Mattias af Geijerstam. However, representatives of the French company admit that they were planning to purchase the shares from the Swedish company. They believe that the transaction will soon begin and be concluded in 2004. It is very likely that La Poste will pay more for the second half of shares in Masterlink, as the company is improving its results. Over the January-October 2003 period, Masterlink's revenues amounted to almost zł. 64 million, on which its made a profit of zł. 854,000, its first net profit in six years. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B4) M.M.