Valentyn Stefan, Post’s CEO, announced on Tuesday that the project with Auchan, which tried to turn post offices into shops, “wasn’t right” and was closed. The coordinator of this project, Alexandru Bretianu, son of Matei Bretianu, former leader of the postal workers’ union, remained in the company’s management team.

The head of the Romanian post office said on Tuesday, during the presentation of the partnership with eBay, that the post office is testing different types of business, not just the traditional ones.

• “Do any of you know about a pilot project a year and a half ago with a large supermarket chain with Auchan, where we tried to see if it worked, if we could turn our offices into mini-marts, exactly on the model of the UK postal companies?
• Well, I tested for 1 year, it wasn’t right, I dropped the partnership, we’re trying something else.”, he said on Tuesday liberal Valentyn Shtefan, temporary general director of the Post.

Now the Post Office is trying to offer banking services in post offices.

• “We have a big problem: half of Romanian citizens do not have access to banking services. We do not want to close post offices, change the image overnight, without giving a chance to solve these fundamental problems of the country.
• We are thinking about the project, trying to establish partnerships with various financial companies, so that we can turn post offices into offices that offer banking services. Maybe this is the solution.” the head of the Post Office also reported.

Alex Brătianu, the one who managed the project with Auchan, remains in the management of the Post Office / His father is fired from the leadership of the union

HotNews.ro asked the head of the Post if, after this failed project, the one who coordinated the project, Alexandru Bretianu, son of Matei Bretianu, the leader of the postal workers’ union, is still part of the management team of the Post.

• “Alex Bratianu is an employee of the company, he is no longer a director and is no longer responsible for the project with Auchan. In fact, no one is doing this anymore, because it is a project that I closed.
• Also, I think it’s cool to try and fail endlessly. I can give you “n” statistics where you will see that only a small number of initiatives, projects succeed. (..)
• I cannot in any way blame Mr. Bratiana for the failure of the project. The project was not a failure, it was a pilot test. It was okay to be open to all outcomes.
• It worked, it didn’t work, I closed it, which is good, I studied the past.
• Mr. Bratianu is doing a great job, I am proud and happy to have him as part of the management team, but I can tell you that Matei Bratianu is no longer the leader of the union, he was recently fired.
• So I hope that now children will not have to bear the burden of parental decisions and work.” the general director of the Post said on Tuesday.

In an interview with HotNews.ro in January of this year, regarding the new Romanian post management team, Valentín Stefan highlighted the benefits that Alexandru Bratianu, the son of former postal union leader Matei Bratianu, would have in a contract with Auchan.

• “Alex Bratianu is one of the first people I worked with in the company since I took the position of Deputy CEO.
• I worked very well with him on several projects, and the one that gained the most momentum was the one related to the Auchan contract.
• There was a 1-year negotiation that ended last year, and this is a pilot project.” Valetin Štefan, CEO of the Post, said at the time.

Groceries, sweets, drinks, snacks and a selection of non-food items have been sold since last May at 4 Pitesti post offices under this partnership. It’s just that, at least for now, reciprocity does not work – that is, postal services are not sold in Auchan stores.

Alexandru Bretianu has been appointed director of the logistics business unit of the Post of Romania.

According to the postal operator, Alex Bratianu was the director of the express services branch of the Post of Romania.

He has 12 years of experience in the company, during which he managed important projects: he rethought the commercial strategy of sending from postal units, developed the Colete-online.ro project, created an electronic mandate service with online payments and expanded the partnership with eMag to more than 500 post offices.

• Read also: Without relaxation, that “the day passes, the letter goes”, 10 signatures on a document or a management bonus: what restructuring is the Romanian Post preparing