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La Poste's services in Saint-Barthélemy are regularly criticized by local residents and entrepreneurs alike. Management representatives therefore decided to travel to Gustavia to meet with the socio-professional world, as well as with elected representatives. On Tuesday August 26, a meeting was held in the Salle des délibérations at the Hôtel de la Collectivité.
To welcome Anne Berthy-Boudon, Executive Director, Barbara Monpierre, Territorial Delegate, and Ludovic Bidard, Sector Director of La Poste, the President of the Collectivité Xavier Lédée had invited Senator Micheline Jacques, Marie-Angèle Aubin (Vice-president in charge of Economic Affairs), Mélissa Lake (President of the Economic Affairs Commission) and Ludovic Bidard.sidente de la commission des Affaires économiques), Fabrice Querrard (président de la commission maîtrise du développement et aménagement du territoire), as well as Maïté Cohen and Philippe Lescos, respectively in charge of the business and project monitoring unit, and in charge of business network support and development at the Chambre économique multiprofessionnelle (Cem). Yohan Adam, vice-president of the association of hotels and villas, and Vanessa Panza, director of the same organization, were also present.
In search of a partner
The purpose of our visit was to introduce ourselves to the business world," explains Barbara Monpierre. The aim was to present La Poste Group and its territorial network, but also to talk about our search for partners on the island. "For the time being, however, La Poste has not found any takers. "This visit is also an appeal," explains the territorial delegate. Since the closure of its Mangliers office in Saint-Jean, La Poste has been looking for a space to set up a relay point. It would be an additional service," insists Barbara Monpierre. In the airport area, it would be relevant. "A partnership that would be accompanied by training and support, it goes without saying. But La Poste's management didn't come here just to talk about this.
We're seeing progress on addressing, which is good news," says Barbara Monpierre. We also talked about our local problems, particularly recruitment. Because of the cost of housing, of course. "The regional delegate also notes "an improvement in mail delivery". She explains: "Sometimes, we used to receive fifteen pallets at once. Now it's less random, which makes it flow more smoothly. "She also points to a "stabilization of the workforce", with four letter carriers and ten or so account managers. The bank advisor, on the other hand, travels from Saint-Martin once a week to meet customers.
For their part, Cem representatives spoke of the difficulties associated with the faulty delivery of mail to businesses, which sometimes leads to automatic deregistrations. More than 500 were recorded in 2024. This problem is likely to persist until addressing is completed. The Collectivité has announced that the installation of the signs is scheduled for early 2026. All that remains is to convince recalcitrant landlords to install mailboxes for their tenants.
A LARGE VOLUME OF MAIL
In 2024, according to the management of La Poste, 1,078 letters and 80 parcels were received daily in Saint-Barthélemy. Since the beginning of 2025, the daily average has been 1,169 letters and 79 parcels.
