Pick Archies card from post office

Chennai, Feb 18 (UNI) Come festive season and you would most probably pick up your favourite greeting card for your dear ones from a nearby post office.

The formalities for a tie-up between the Department of Posts (DoP) and Archies Gallery are about to be completed and beginning Friendship Day on August 7, the facility would be in place in post offices across the state, including those in rural areas.

''Once this becomes a success, the idea will be extended to other states,'' Archies Southern Regional Manager R Shankar told UNI adding that a formal letter have ben received from the office of Chief Postmaster General for retailing greeting cards even in rural areas.'' ''The greeting cards will be purchased in bulk from our concern during the season and retailed through post offices and Speed Post centres,'' Mr Shankar said.

He also mentioned there would be final discussions before the a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked.

''Once the deal is finalised, Arches will set up the infrastructure in post offices for sales by August 2007,'' he pointed out.

The Department of Posts (DoP) was already selling Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission and Union Public Service Commission application forms besides pre-paid cards of various mobile service providers.

Officials from (DoP) said they have recently sent a letter expressing willingness to sell the company's greeting cards through post offices.

Archies portfolio covers over 30 occasions a year, including Valentines Day, Mother's Day, Christmas, New year and Tamil harvest festival 'Pongal.' With the arrival of mobile services and internet, greeting cards sales have been facing slump for the past few years.

The new tie-up was expected to revive Archies sales, Mr Shankar said adding ''customers would find it very convenient to buy and send the cards from their nearest post office.'' This will also give Archies an opportunity to build its sales network in rural areas where the penetration was comparatively less.

UNI