Billionaire Kretinsky’s Royal Mail takeover bid delayed

(Reuters) – The completion of EP Group’s takeover of Royal Mail-owner International Distribution Services is likely to be delayed to the second quarter of 2025 due to regulatory issues in Romania, the company said on Wednesday.

The only regulatory condition that needs resolving pertains to foreign direct investment in Romania, Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group said, adding that it expects the condition to be met in the second quarter.

The British government approved the 3.57-billion-pound ($4.58 billion) deal in December 2024 and it was expected to close in the first quarter of this year.

($1 = 0.7801 pounds)

(Reporting by Yamini Kalia and Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)

tagreuters.com2025binary_LYNXNPEL240JA-VIEWIMAGE