An Post launches €2m SME support scheme

An Post will give away €1,000 of direct mail marketing services free to each of 1,000 small businesses on a "first come, first served" basis from Monday.

The measure is part of a €2 million suite of supports for SMEs (small and medium enterprises) to help them trade through the Covid-19 crisis period. The package of supports also includes a 25 per cent discount on An Post parcel delivery services and an ecommerce advice hub for SMEs that shift to trading online.

The €1 million worth of free direct mail services for 1,000 SMEs will be made available to help small businesses fund “a local advertising drive or as part of a larger marketing campaign”, An Post said.

To avail of the discounts and other supports, SMEs must register for the An Post Advantage card scheme, which also entitles businesses to bulk-buy discounts on booklets and boxes of stamps, as well as financial services.

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Phase one

Garrett Bridgeman, managing director of An Post's mails and parcels division, said the supports comprise "phase one" of a support programme for SMEs, which will also include a new direct mail service for consumer product samples and "a regional initiative centred around local post offices".

“There’s lots to be learned from the global ecommerce players in getting the digital impact, service quality and customer focus in place from the start,” he said.

“By adding the power of post and the convenience of the local post office to deliver a personal, human touch, we can give Irish companies a real advantage in the national and international marketplace.”