The Czech billionaire who has tabled an offer for Royal Mail is preparing to invest some £800m on introducing a network of parcel lockers in a bid to take on delivery rivals.
Daniel Kretinsky, who has submitted a £3.6bn takeover bid, is planning to cut Royal Mail’s parcel prices in the hopes of winning back market share, The Telegraph reported.
Kretinsky is said to be looking to invest in a network of 20,000 Amazon-style lockers where customers can collect and drop off packages more conveniently.
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He is planning to spend as much as £800m on the measures over the next three to five years.
Despite most of Royal Mail’s sales coming from parcels, it has lost out on market share in recent years to rival delivery firms such as Evri, DHL and InPost.
Kretinsky’s bid is currently under review and if the deal goes ahead, it will be the first time that any country has allowed its postal service to be controlled by a foreign owner.
It comes as Royal Mail rival Evri, which rebranded from Hermes in 2022, is thought to be in the middle of a heated auction between private equity firm Apollo Global Management and China’s biggest online retailer JD.com.
Evri’s potential £2bn sale comes as parcel delivery firm Yodel is actively seeking new funding just months after narrowly avoiding collapse.
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