Czech Post is buying part of the largest press distributor and at the same time the largest alternative postal operator, První novinové společnosti (PNS). Czech Post is only interested in the part of PNS that deals with the delivery of consignments and prepaid printing. The distribution of newspapers and other assortment to newsagents is not part of the transaction, announced spokesman Matyáš Vitík for Czech Post. The Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) deals with the merger of the Czech Post and the PNS, which informed about it on its website. According to a post spokesman, the price of the transaction is a trade secret. We are finding out the PNS statement.
“The proposed merger of competitors is to take place mainly in the delivery of postal letter services, addressed and unaddressed print items and the delivery of print subscriptions in the Czech Republic,” the office announced.
According to a spokesman for the Czech Post, Vitík, however, the transaction does not include PNS’s activities consisting in securing supplies of national and regional dailies, magazines, electronic media, non-periodical publications and other additional assortment to points of sale throughout the Czech Republic. He did not say whether PNS would be divided in any way because of this.
According to the post office, the price is a trade secret at the moment. “The advantage of the transaction was also verified by an externally prepared business plan. The purchase price is valued (assessed) by two external expert opinions,” Vitík added. According to him, the post office is planning a number of acquisitions of various types. These will always be areas that have common points with logistics, delivery and delivery of consignments and the like.
PNS is the largest distributor of printing to the sales network in the Czech Republic and, after the merger with PNS Grosso and Mediaservis, also the largest alternative company providing delivery of addressed and unaddressed consignments in the Czech Republic. The main shareholders of PNS are Mafra (37.51 percent), Vltava Labe Media (35 percent) and Czech News Center (27.02 percent). In 2020, it reported a loss of CZK 175 million, which was CZK 42 million less than in 2019. It supplies printing and ancillary goods to almost 14,000 points of sale in the Czech Republic.
Source: Czech Post and CTK
