Scandinavians interested in buying 30% of RM.

[savo]

Just saw this, apologies if already posted:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... -Mail.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post Danmark and Posten AB of Sweden, which are in the process of merging, are understood to have registered an interest in forming a strategic partnership with Royal Mail that could result in the combined entity acquiring 30pc in the British company.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, are determined to push ahead with the partial sell-off despite a growing rebellion among backbench Labour MPs.

UBS, the investment bank, has been hired by the Government to evaluate interest from prospective bidders. TNT, the Dutch postal group, has appointed Goldman Sachs to advise it on the situation, while this week FedEx, the American parcels giant, was understood to have engaged JP Morgan to examine whether a bid for Royal Mail's parcels business, GLS, would be viable.

CVC Capital Partners, the private equity group, is also interested in the Royal Mail stake. Earlier this month, CVC sold its 22pc shareholding in Post Danmark to the Danish government and in turn struck a deal to acquire Post Danmark's stake in De Post – La Poste, Belgium's national postal service provider.

It was unclear last night whether CVC would pursue an offer for the Royal Mail stake alone or with a partner such as the merged Danish and Swedish post offices.

The interest from potential bidders comes as Royal Mail's pension trustees prepare to calculate their triennial valuation of the company's pension deficit. The latest valuation, which will be confirmed later this year, is likely to have reached a figure of between £8bn and £9bn, against £3.4bn in March 2006.

Royal Mail declined to comment.