British postal service and courier group owned by International Distribution Services
Royal Mail has reported improved delivery performance in the first quarter, with 85% of first-class mail delivered next day and 91.4% of second-class mail delivered within three days. Ofcom targets remain unmet, and the company has pledged to meet these benchmarks by May 2027 as part of a £500 million five-year turnaround plan. Regulators have fined the group before, and investigations continue into ongoing delays and backstop targets.
West Ham United are reshaping leadership as Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky becomes chairman with a 46% stake, while long-time owner Sullivan steps back to 40% after a high-profile reshuffle that keeps him in the frame.
Royal Mail has announced a restructuring aimed at cutting head office and support functions as it implements universal service reforms amid a long-term decline in letter volumes. Frontline delivery and processing roles will be protected, with voluntary exits and natural attrition guiding the changes, which are expected to complete by the end of next year.
A Google Cloud outage in the Europe-west2 region, likely London, has disrupted multiple services in the UK. Banks report card payments and sign-ins affected; HM Courts & Tribunals Service experiences video-link outages. Google says issues are largely resolved with an internal investigation to follow.