Bpost is seeing a gradual return in parcel volumes after April's strike, but growth has not yet returned to pre-strike levels, parent company Bnode said on Friday.
Presenting its half-year results, the postal and logistics group said the situation was improving week by week. Chief executive Chris Peeters said most customers had returned after the strike, although more slowly than expected.
"Commercially, that is good news," Peeters said. "Things have gone better than we had imagined. Most customers have come back to us, but with a longer delay than expected."
Bnode said the total financial impact of the strike, which severely disrupted Bpost's operations for more than a month, reached €25.5 million at EBIT level.
As a result, the group cut its 2026 adjusted EBIT forecast to €140 million, down from the previously expected range of €165 million to €195 million.
Investors reacted poorly to the downgrade. By midday on Friday, Bpost shares were down more than 10% on the Brussels stock exchange.
On employment, headcount fell by about 1,500 full-time equivalent positions in the first half compared with the same period in 2025.
Bnode, and Bpost in particular, is relying as much as possible on natural staff turnover as it restructures to avoid compulsory redundancies, Peeters said.
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However, he warned that this approach will only work if Bpost can retain customers in parcels, the segment expected to offset the structural and very rapid decline in traditional mail deliveries.
"I was clear about this during the strike: if we lose customers, then yes, we will have to act more forcefully than on the basis of natural attrition," Peeters said on Friday.
He also stressed the need to carry out the next stages of the group's transformation plan with as little disruption as possible.
The next key step is scheduled for the end of September and is intended to allow customers to inject parcels into Bpost's network later in the day for next-day delivery.
The demand for later delivery cut-off times remains strong, chief financial officer Philippe Dartienne said. "That demand to be able to deliver later was there, is there and continues."
