A High Court case to determine who controls Yodel following its acquisition by InPost earlier this year will take place in October, according to delivery firm Shift and its CEO Jacob Corlett.
Corlett said the expedited trial – a streamlined legal process that can resolve disputes quicker than standard proceedings – would address his belief that Yodel was sold in a £106m deal despite him owning the majority of shares in the business via Shift and Corja Holdings.
Corlett led an aborted rescue deal for Yodel in 2024 and is part of a group of warrant holders who filed a formal demand for Yodel shares they claim to own.
He said Shift and Corja formally notified Polish parcel delivery giant InPost of their position, and yet InPost still went ahead with the acquisition of 95.5% of Judge Logistics’ share capital, the parent company of Yodel, on 17 April 2025.
Corlett said: “I wrote to Neil Kuschel, UK CEO of InPost, and Michael Rouse, international CEO of InPost in January, outlining our position.
“Our solicitors wrote again in May and we were ignored. The High Court has now ordered an expedited trial for October.
“Whilst the judge made no ultimate findings at this stage he stated that there is a ‘serious issue to be tried’ and that we have ‘a case with a sufficiently good prospect of success.’
“This trial, we believe, recognises the gravity of our concerns.
“We remain committed to safeguarding the future of Yodel, an important logistics business, and are confident of achieving a positive outcome in October.”
Corlett added that the judge had declined to grant interim relief that would have restricted InPost’s ability to transfer clients and rebrand, reasoning that any harm could, in theory, be compensated financially.
He said Shift and Corja strongly disagreed with this damages analysis and that if they are successful in October and gain control of Yodel, they would effectively bear the cost of any damages.
Corlett said an application had been made to the Court of Appeal and he hoped this position would be corrected.
“This case goes to the heart of who controls one of the UK’s largest delivery networks,” he added.
No-one from Yodel was available for comment. InPost did not respond.
