The challenge of delivering a Royal Mail takeover

Next week the right-hand man of Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech billionaire seeking to acquire Royal Mail, will fly into London seeking to reach a £3.5 billion deal for the 508-year-old former state-owned postal service.

Roman Silha, who heads mergers and acquisitions for the investment division of EP Group’s shareholders, is leading talks with the board of International Distributions Services, Royal Mail’s parent company, over contractual undertakings designed to protect “key public interest factors” and its status as a crucial “part of national infrastructure”.

Last week the board of IDS, led by Keith Williams, reached agreement on a 370p-per-share takeover proposal from EP Group, the conglomerate controlled by Kretinsky, 48, which it is “minded” to recommend to shareholders, should a firm offer be made.

Before