Royal Mail is owned by EP Group, a Czech-based conglomerate controlled by billionaire Daniel Křetínský, following a £3.6 billion acquisition that was completed in April 2025[2][1][3]. The holding company, International Distribution Services (IDS), retains Royal Mail Group Limited as a wholly owned subsidiary. While the UK government approved the deal, it has kept a “golden share” to ensure strategic interests, but Royal Mail is now under foreign private ownership. This marks the first time the 500-year-old postal operator is no longer based in British hands. The sale came with legally binding commitments to maintain certain services, keep UK headquarters, and retain tax residency within the UK[2].
The Post Office, by contrast, is a public corporation owned entirely by the UK government[4][6]. Managed by the Department for Business and Trade and overseen by the Post Office Board, Post Office Limited operates around 11,665 branches across the UK as of April 2025. Almost all branches are run by independent subpostmasters or retail partners, with only a small proportion directly managed as Crown post offices. The government sets the network’s size and operating standards, separating the Post Office (the high-street and community-facing branch network) from Royal Mail (the delivery and logistics company)[6].
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