Its acquisition strategies are unconvincing. Its management structure is cumbersome. The international industry perceives the Post Office as having faltered and been overtaken by its more agile competitors in Holland and Germany. Meanwhile, the Post Office Counters business is in crisis. The Horizon Project has suffered from Government meddling and a lack of clarity.
Many branches are unsustainable.
The network's density is twice that of the UK's competitors. Several hundred branches are closing every year. On 26 March 2001, the Post Office is due to become a PLC and change its name to Consignia. Decisions will still be taken by politicians and civil servants, and the monopolistic culture of the Post Office will be preserved. Lyons argues that radical reform is needed if the Post Office is to compete effectively in the future.