Royal Mail comes to market

Britain’s biggest privatisation since the 1980s proved a big hit with the public this week.

Britain's biggest privatisation since the 1980s proved a big hit with the public this week. The government is selling off just over half of the Royal Mail (RM), with a further 10% stake for the staff. Around 30% of the shares on offer are to go to retail investors. When the offer closed on Tuesday, it was heavily oversubscribed.

The shares, to be priced on Friday, are expected to sell at the top end of the 330p-335p range. That implies a valuation of around £3.3bn. Labour's business spokesman Chuka Umunna, citing a study suggesting the business could be worth £4.5bn, warned that taxpayers were losing out because the company was being sold too cheaply.

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