The Czech billionaire’s interest in PostNL continues to grow

Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský’s stake in PostNL has grown to just below a critical limit. He now owns just under 30 per cent of the Dutch parcel and postal delivery company. If he exceeds this limit, he is in principle obliged to bid for the entire company. The fact is that the businessman now owns a larger part of PostNL, because the company itself bought back its shares and later withdrew them.

Křetínský now owns 31.40 percent of the shares, directly or indirectly. But since his direct interest is 29.9 percent, he doesn’t have to make a public offer for all the other shares, explains a spokesperson for the Dutch Financial Markets Authority. The fact that the direct interest is still just under 30 percent seems to indicate that the businessman is not interested in taking over PostNL as a whole at the moment.

At the beginning of this year, Křetínsk has already increased its interest in PostNL to just over a quarter of all shares. A PostNL spokesperson says that as an investor he looks closely at opportunities in e-commerce and has confidence in PostNL’s long-term strategy. He does not want to anticipate any subsequent share buybacks or redemptions and their consequences.

Křetínský is known, among other things, as the owner of the Sparta Prague football club and also invested in British club West Ham United last year. In the UK, he also has interests in the Postal Service. He owns more than 22 percent of the shares of the Royal Mail Group.

Křetínský also owns a majority of Czech energy group EPH, which announced in September that it would buy a large part of energy company Zeeland PZEM. As a result of this transaction, the Sloe power station near Vlissingen will, among other things, be owned by EPH.