Evri is being prepared for a multibillion-pound sale by its private equity owner, according to reports.
The parcel delivery firm’s owner Advent International is working with Rothschild advisers to explore a sale for the company, according to The Sunday Times.
A sale of the courier, which was formerly known as Hermes, could be worth up to around £2bn.
Advent has a 75% stake in Evri alongside its other shareholder Otto. Reports of a sale follow Evri paying out £762m in dividends to shareholders.
Evri employs almost 7,700 members of staff at its head offices and warehouses, and works with around 20,000 self-employed drivers.
The news comes at the same time as reports that fellow delivery service Yodel is battling insolvency.
Yodel is reportedly looking for a buyer and could call in administrators if one is not found.
The delivery firm is owned by the Barclay family, which also own The Very Group, one of Yodel’s largest clients.
Last week, Sky News reported that the family was urgently seeking a buyer and The Delivery Group was among possible suitors, but hopes for a rescue deal have since waned.
In a statement to Retail Week, a Yodel spokesperson said: “Yodel notes the speculative press coverage regarding the current situation of the company.
“In the summer of 2023, following a number of unsolicited approaches, we appointed Clearwater International to carry out a full strategic review.
“As a result ,the company is now at an advanced stage with several interested parties wishing to complete a purchase. We can confirm that these discussions are constructive, and we anticipate that hopefully we will announce a positive outcome shortly.
“While these discussions are in the final stages, operations continue without any disruption, with thousands of parcels travelling through our network and being successfully delivered throughout the UK.
“Our performance over the last year is testament to the long-term strength and growth potential of the Yodel business, handling 191 million parcels with revenues up 3.4%.
“The Christmas peak season achieved record service levels, and we have seen parcel volumes through our Out of Home network more than double with the significant rise in demand for customer-to-customer services.”
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