Royal Mail is owned by EP Group, a Czech-based company controlled by Daniel Křetínský, who completed the £3.6 billion acquisition of International Distribution Services (IDS), Royal Mail’s parent company, in April 2025[1][5]. The UK government retains a “golden share,” providing a degree of oversight, but operational ownership lies entirely with EP Group following the government-approved sale[1].
Post Office Limited is a separate entity from Royal Mail and remains state-owned; it is a government-owned company that operates the UK’s network of post office branches[6]. Post Office Limited remains in public hands, entirely owned by the UK government, and functions independently of the now-privatised Royal Mail. While recent government consultations have proposed changes such as mutualisation—which could see Post Office ownership transferred to employees or subpostmasters—the company is still state-owned as of mid-2025[4][6].
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