The state-owned Czech Post sold three unneeded properties in Prague’s Krč district in an electronic auction yesterday. In total, it will get almost CZK 400 million for them, said Matyáš Vitík, a spokesman for the post office. The winner must pay the price within 30 days. The Post Office has closed three hundred branches in the Czech Republic since July this year due to poor economic results and announced it would be disposing of its assets.
Each of the three properties on offer was sold by the Post Office through its own auction. The building in Na Strži Street had the highest asking price, over CZK 310 million. The auction also included a built-up plot of land with garages with an area of 849 square metres and a starting price of over CZK 31 million. The third property on offer was a plot of land with an area of 88 square metres, for which the post office was asking at least CZK 400,000, according to the auction database on the Tender Arena website.
“At 16:30, the last e-auction was closed with the highest bid not being increased by any more participants,” the spokesman said. The Post Office is now sending a notice to the auction winner to pay the purchase price. He has to deposit it within 30 days of receiving it, after which it will be registered in the land registry. “This will settle the sale of the Czech Post’s real estate in Prague 4,” Vitík said.
The post office has previously said it intends to offer the main post office building in Jindřišská Street in the centre of the capital at auction. The Prague City Hall has expressed interest in the property.
The Czech Post reported a loss of CZK 1.73 billion last year, and its director in charge Miroslav Štěpán said in August that he expected a loss of CZK 1 billion this year. It had to resort to austerity measures. The post office employs almost 23,000 people and by the end of May it had cut 924 jobs in connection with branch closures, of which about 600 employees were fired.
Source: Czech Post and CTK
