Who owns the royal mail
The Royal Mail, the United Kingdom's postal service, is a publicly traded company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). As of 2021, the largest shareholders of Royal Mail Group plc are:
- The UK Government: The UK Government holds a 38.7% stake in Royal Mail through its Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
- Institutional investors: Institutional investors such as BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street Global Advisors hold significant stakes in Royal Mail, with each holding around 5-10% of the company's shares.
- Individual investors: Individual investors, including retail investors and high-net-worth individuals, hold around 20-30% of the company's shares.
The UK Government's stake in Royal Mail was acquired through a flotation of the company on the London Stock Exchange in 2013. The flotation was part of a privatization process that aimed to raise capital for the government and increase competition in the postal sector.
It's worth noting that the UK Government has a golden share in Royal Mail, which gives it certain powers to intervene in the company's operations and decision-making process. The golden share was introduced as part of the privatization process to ensure that the company continues to provide a universal postal service to the UK public.