CZECH'S INTO POST
DANIEL KRETINSKY has become the owner of Royal Mail after a £3.57BILLION takeover by EP Group.
The Czech already owned a majority shareholding but the 500-year-old British firm is now his after his company purchased the remaining shares.
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ROYAL MAIL
International Distribution Services (IDS) revealed they had received a formal bid in mid-May 2024.
Kretinsky's EP Group already owned a 27.6 per cent share and the £3.57bn deal will not be considered by regulators, while shareholders will vote on it at the next annual general meeting in September.
Royal Mail's branding and UK headquarters in London will remain as part of the deal.
It also promised the 'one-price-goes-anywhere' first class post will remain six days per week and that employment rights for staff would be protected.
In April, the price of first class stamps increased from 85p two years ago to £1.35 and second class from 65p to 85p.
In 2022-23 the company only delivered 73.7% of first class and 90.7% of second class mail on time.
There have also been staff strikes over pay in recent years.
WEST HAM
As well as his new purchase of Royal Mail, Kretinsky is also the second-largest shareholder in West Ham, with a 27 per cent holding.
He joined the board back in 2021 and has previously been interested in taking over the shares of the late former West Ham joint-chairman David Gold, who passed away in January 2023.
Boyhood West Ham fan Gold owned a 25.1 per cent share in the Hammers and that share is currently held by his daughter, Vanessa Gold, on behalf of the family trust.
Kretinsky, 48, was previously interested in purchasing that share for around £150million, but no deal has been completed at the time of writing.
Dave Sullivan owns a 38.8 per cent share in the club.
Back in 2021, Kretinsky said: "I am delighted this detailed process has now been successfully concluded.
"I am passionate about football. I greatly appreciate and respect the exceptional history and tradition of West Ham United as well as its loyal and passionate supporter base and also the highly inspiring role it plays in many social programmes and initiatives."
SAINSBURY'S AND OTHER BUSINESS
The Czech businessman, believed to be worth £7billion, already has a stranglehold on British business.
Along with his incoming ownership of Royal Mail he also holds the second most shares in supermarket chain Sainsbury's.
In 2004, he became chairman of Czech giants Sparta Prague, and he's a media tycoon - owning newspapers in his homeland, as well as in France.
The 'Czech Sphinx', as Kretinsky has been called because of his inscrutable nature, made his money in energy through his company EPH, which he expanded to our shores.
EPH owns four power plants in the UK, in Eggborough in North Yorkshire, Lynemouth in Northumberland, Langage in Devon and South Humber Bank in Lincolnshire.
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In 2020, the law graduate increased his shares in Royal Mail - amassing a £250million stake in the historic FTSE250 company.
A month later, his holding company Vesa Equity Investment Sarl became the second largest shareholder of J Sainsbury, when they acquired a ten per cent stake in the supermarket chain.
Kretinsky, who appears to be playing real-life Monopoly, also struck deals to own US trainer store Foot Locker, as well as American shopping centre Macy's.
FAMOUS WAG
The talk of the Czech tabloids is Kretinsky's romance with Olympic showjumper Anna Kellnerova.
Although he keeps his personal life private, he is reportedly dating Olympic showjumper Anna Kellnerova - 20 years his junior.
Just 27, she is the daughter of his former EPH business partner Petr Kellner, who died in a helicopter crash in Alaska and was the richest man in Czech Republic.
She also attended the International School of Prague, the same as Kretinsky's son.
A twice national champion, Kellnerova recently competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with the Czech Equestrian Team.
It was her father Petr who installed her hardworking values and encouraged her to follow her equestrian dream.
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She said: "He told me that I have to work hard in life, I have to be kind, respectful and happy with what I do.
"Because if you are not happy, you will never be able to put as much energy into work as you need."
HAMPSTEAD PILE
Kretinsky owns one of the most expensive homes in Britain - a spectacular 15-bedroom mansion on 'Billionaire's Row'.
The home is along Bishop's Avenue in Hampstead was built in 1910 for sugar magnate William Park Lyle of Tate & Lyle fame.
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The Grade II Edwardian mansion is 25,000sq ft and has a 2.5 acre garden - there are also 13 bathrooms and six dressing rooms to go along with the 15 double bedrooms.
It has an indoor pool, steam room, jacuzzi and sauna, a gym, cinema rooms and a bar that can fit 600 bottles.
Kretinsky can also retire to snooker rooms, a large office, library or sun room.
The three-storey mansion fell into disrepair having been purchased by the Bank of China in 2006, before property developer Andreas Panayiotou spent £40million renovating it.
Justin Bieber rented the house for a week for £27,000 during his tour of Britain in 2016 and Hollywood A-lister Salma Hayek has also vacationed at the property.
MEDIA MOGUL
The media landscape in Czech Republic and France has a Kretinsky flavour to it.
EPH owns several publications, including the daily tabloid Blesk, which is run out of Prague.
While over in Paris, magazines Elle and Marianne are also under the Kretinsky umbrella.
French afternoon newspaper Le Monde is also part of his media stable.
HE'S ALREADY IN FOOTBALL
For 19 years, Kretinsky has been chairman of world-renowned Czech club Sparta Prague, where the likes of Tomas Rosicky and Pavel Nedved made their name.
However, his time there hasn't gone as smoothly as hoped, with only four league titles since taking over in 2004.
There was also a fallout with former West Ham favourite, Tomas Repka.
After the hot-headed defender was dumped by the club, he sensationally revealed how he conceded a penalty against a title-rival on purpose.
"At that precise moment I was not thinking straight. I hurt the team as a whole. But I was fuelled by human vanity, and I wanted to settle a score with Mr Kretinsky," Repka said.
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"He didn’t behave fairly to me when I was leaving Sparta, so I promised him I’d get him back. Hopefully I succeeded."
West Ham are currently struggling in the Premier League, sitting just two points above the drop zone.
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