Royal Mail's parent company International Distributions Services said on Wednesday it had agreed to a 3.57 billion pound ($4.55 billion) formal takeover offer by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky.
The offer valued IDS, which owns Royal Mail and international parcels network GLS, at 370 pence per share.
Royal Mail has been trying to transform itself into a parcel-led business as letter volumes declined sharply over the years.
Kretinsky has said that private investment in Royal Mail was crucial given its challenging situation with poor service delivery, slow transformation and increasing competition.
Any takeover bid for Royal Mail would be subject to "normal" national security scrutiny but it would not be opposed in principle, Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt said earlier.
Persons:
Daniel Kretinsky, Keith Williams, Kretinsky, Jeremy Hunt, Jonathan Reynolds
Organizations:
International, Services, Royal Mail, Service, Government, IDS, Labour, VESA Equity
Locations:
Czech, London