The business behind Britain’s postman and famous red pillar boxes has struggled since going public under the coalition government led by former Prime Minister David Cameron.
A billionaire Czech owner of a prestigious U.K. national asset is unlikely to change the mind of a public fiercely opposed to the 2013 IPO. However, Simmonds says that although Royal Mail is still “held in high regard by the British public” the “outpouring of anguish when the 500-year-old company was privatized in 2013 has largely dissipated over the years.”A Czech billionaire owner would certainly represent a new–and rather modern–chapter in the Royal Mail’s story so far.