Shell ‘on the verge’ of signing Post Office broadband deal
Shell has, this weekend, edged closer to buying the Post Office’s broadband operations, in a deal that would push it further into the UK telecoms market.
The news comes following a weekend of talks between the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) giant and postal service, according to reports from Sky News.
Negotiations have now been in play for nearly two months. In early December, it was reported that Shell had slipped into poll position for the acquisition, with TalkTalk (TALK.L) and Sky also expressing an interest in the business.
The deal is expected to cost Shell less than £100m ($133m) and could close as early as next week. Sky reported today that it could cost £80m.
The Post Office’s broadband arm has around 500,000 customers.
Reports of Shell scaling up in the industry follows its purchase of retail energy and broadband supplier First Utility in 2018. It rebranded the business Shell Energy Retail after it seized control.
With this deal its strategy appears to be moving further away from more traditional energy markets, as attention on oil majors turns to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Last week Shell also bought the UK’s biggest electric vehicle charging network, Ubitricity.
Shell Energy retail has about 130,000 broadband customers in the UK and 870,000 domestic energy accounts.
In October, Shell announced plans to hike payouts to shareholders, despite profits nosediving and mass job cuts as coronavirus hammers the industry.
The company posted adjusted earnings of $955m, an 80% decline on its third quarter a year earlier but still better than expected by analysts.
Yahoo Finance contacted both Shell and the Post Office for comment. Shell had not returned request for comment at the time of publication, while the Post Office said it would not comment on speculation.
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
