(Reuters) – Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is pressing on with his buying spree in Europe, after he was said to be among potential suitors to buy German state-owned utility Uniper.
Kretinsky, 49, a former investment bank lawyer who built one of Europe’s largest energy groups, Energeticky a Prumyslovy Holding (EPH), has been diversifying into retail, media and other areas.
His net worth stands at $8.9 billion, according to Forbes.
Kretinsky operates through various investment vehicles, including EP Group and VESA Equity Investment. The latter has a portfolio valued at more than 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion), according to its website.
Here is a summary of some investments by firms controlled by Kretinsky and his long-term business partner, Patrik Tkac:
EPH
Kretinsky holds slightly over 50% in EPH through its parent EPCG, which owns scores of energy companies across western and central Europe.
EPH is “part of the process” in the sale of Uniper, a source familiar with the matter said on Jan. 20, declining to be identified because the talks are confidential.
On Dec. 19, EPH signed a deal to acquire Italian group Enel’s stake in Slovak electricity producer Slovenske Elektrarne.
The energy business of EPCG reported a combined core profit (EBITDA) of 7.3 billion euros for 2023.
POSTAL SERVICES
* International Distributions Services
Britain cleared EP Group to buy the Royal Mail parent in a 3.57 billion pound ($4.35 billion) deal on Dec. 16, after securing commitments that the government said would protect one of the world’s oldest postal services.
* PostNL
Kretinsky had accumulated a 31.4% stake in the Dutch mail and package delivery group through VESA, a regulatory filing showed in November 2022.
* Quadient
Kretinsky invested 1 billion Czech crowns ($40.95 million) in November 2023 to buy a stake in the French mailroom equipment company. VESA owned 15% of the voting rights as of June 2024, the French markets regulator AMF said.
RETAIL
* Unieuro
French retailer Fnac Darty and Ruby Equity Investment, both linked to Kretinsky via VESA, on Dec. 12 reached 96.7% of the share capital of the Italian consumer electronics retailer, which they took private in early January.
* Casino
Kretinsky’s Casino buyout consortium said in February 2024 that the Paris commerce court had approved its plan to bail out the debt-laden French retailer under an accelerated protection procedure.
Following the deal, the consortium owned 53.73% of Casino shares as of May 6, LSEG data showed.
* Fnac Darty
VESA is the largest shareholder of the French retailer, according to data from French markets regulator AMF. VESA owns 29% of Fnac Darty’s voting rights, the investment vehicle’s website said.
* Foot Locker
VESA owns 12.3% voting rights in the U.S. sportswear and footwear retailer.
* Metro
Kretinsky is the controlling shareholder of Metro with 49.99% of the German retail group’s voting rights, German weekly “Lebensmittelzeitung” reported in March 2024.
* Sainsbury’s
VESA has a 10.06% stake in the British supermarket group, LSEG data showed.
MEDIA
* Editis
France’s Vivendi agreed in June 2023 to sell its publishing business Editis to International Media Invest, a unit of Kretinsky’s Czech Media Invest (CMI). Vivendi said in November 2023 it had received 653 million euros after finalising the sale.
* Elle, Marianne
Kretinsky also owns several French titles via CMI, such as Elle and news magazine Marianne, according to the CMI website.
OTHER
* Thyssenkrupp
The German industrial conglomerate said in May 2024 its supervisory board had approved a planned sale of 20% of its steel division to Kretinsky.
Thyssenkrupp last April said the parties were also in talks about the acquisition of a further 30% stake, aiming for a 50-50 joint venture.
* DoDo
Logistics firm DoDo, which provides fast delivery services to customers in e-commerce, retail and food delivery, said in May 2022 that Kretinsky would inject 60 million euros into the group over two years to support its international expansion.
* 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 team, Sparta Prague.
($1 = 0.9692 euros)
($1 = 0.8203 pounds)
($1 = 24.4190 Czech crowns)
(Compiled by Diana Mandiá, Jan Lopatka, Jason Hovet, Alessandro Parodi and Gianluca Lo Nostro; Editing by Milla Nissi)
