Latest News

RPT-Czech billionaire Kretinsky's vast empire

Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky has continued with his buying spree this week with a deal through financial investment automobile EP Group to take the owner of Britain's Royal Mail private. Kretinsky, 47, a former investment bank attorney who built among Europe's biggest energy groups, Energeticky a Prumyslovy Holding ( EPH), has actually been diversifying into retail, media and other areas.

His net worth stands at $9.4 billion, according to Forbes.

Kretinsky operates through different financial investment lorries, including EP Group and VESA Equity Investment. The latter has actually a. portfolio valued at more than 3 billion euros ($ 3.24 billion),. according to its site.

Here is a summary of some investments by firms managed by. Kretinsky and his long-term company partner, Patrik Tkac:

EPH

Kretinsky holds a little over 50% in EPH through its moms and dad. EPCG, which owns scores of energy companies throughout western and. central Europe.

The energy business of EPCG reported a combined core revenue. ( EBITDA) of 7.3 billion euros for 2023.

POSTAL SERVICES

* International Distributions Providers

The owner of Britain's Royal Mail said on May 29 it had. agreed to a 3.57 billion pound ($ 4.53 billion) takeover by. Kretinsky.

* PostNL. Kretinsky has actually collected a 31.4% stake in the Dutch mail and. package shipment group through VESA, a regulatory filing revealed. in November 2022.

* Quadient

Kretinsky invested 1 billion Czech crowns ($ 43.58 million). in November to buy a stake in the French mailroom devices. business. VESA owns 10% of the ballot rights, according to its. site.

RETAIL

* Gambling establishment. Kretinsky's Casino buyout consortium said in February that the. Paris Commerce court had approved its strategy to bail out the. debt-laden French seller under a sped up defense. procedure.

Following the deal, the consortium owned 53.73% of Gambling establishment. shares since May 6, LSEG information programs.

* Fnac Darty. VESA ended up being the biggest shareholder of the French retailer, data. by French markets regulator AMF revealed. VESA owns 29% of Fnac. Darty's ballot rights, according to the financial investment automobile's. site.

* Foot Locker

VESA owns 12.3% voting rights in the U.S. sportswear and. shoes retailer.

* City. Kretinsky is the controlling investor of the group with. 49.99% of the German retail group's ballot rights, German weekly. Lebensmittelzeitung reported in March.

* Sainsbury's

VESA has a 9.99% stake in the British supermarket group,. LSEG information revealed.

MEDIA

* Editis. France's Vivendi agreed in June to sell its publishing. company Editis to International Media Invest, an unit of. Kretinsky's Czech Media Invest (CMI). Vivendi stated in November it got an overall of 653 million. euros after settling the sale.

* Elle, Marianne

Kretinsky also owns a number of French titles by means of CMI, such as. Elle and news magazine Marianne, according to the CMI site.

* TF1

VESA holds 5% in French TV business TF1, LSEG data shows.

OTHER

* Thyssenkrupp. The German commercial conglomerate stated on May 23 its. supervisory board authorized a scheduled sale of 20% of its steel. department to Kretinsky despite continued opposition from labour. representatives. Thyssenkrupp said in April that the celebrations are also in talks. about the acquisition of an additional 30% stake, aiming for a 50-50. joint endeavor.

* Atos

Kretinsky is attempting to convince financial institutions to side with him. in the battle for Atos, a source close to the matter stated in. May. His EP Equity Investment (EPEI), in collaboration with British. fund Attestor, is using to eliminate more than 90% of Atos' 4.8. billion-euro monetary debt and offer large parts of the company,. with the profits partially dispersed to lenders.

* DoDo. Logistics company DoDo, which supplies quick delivery services to. customers in e-commerce, retail and food shipment, said in May. 2022 that Kretinsky would inject 60 million euros into the group. over 2 years to support its global growth.

* West Ham

Kretinsky's 1890s Holdings group has a 27% stake in the. English Premier League soccer club, according to the club's. website, in addition to his ownership of the leading Czech group,. Sparta Prague.

(source: Reuters)