BRITISH POST OFFICE BUYS CRIE GROUP

BRITISH POST OFFICE BUYS CRIE GROUP       The British Post Office said Wednesday that it has bought the Paris-based Crie group of postal companies, which specialize in delivery of domestic French and international express mail.
      The acquisition represents an investment of about 6 million pounds, with further payments possible, based on future commercial performance of the business.
      It marks the fifth international purchase in 12 months for British Post Office, which said that additional deals are under consideration.
      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 CSA, which provides facilities for management and mailroom services; and Crie Multi Services S.A., which is dedicated to international mail services.
      The British Post office acquired in November Citipost Group, the New York-based document delivery company which has operations in Europe and North America. Other acquisitions last year include German Parcel, the third-largest private parcel company in Germany; Der Kurier, a guaranteed overnight delivery service throughout Germany; and the Williames Group, a leading Irish parcels, logistics, air freight and distribution service.