Trade, media, football
Billionaire Kretinsky is expanding his empire
April 26, 2024, 1:04 p.m
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Daniel Kretinsky wants to invest in Thyssenkrupp with initially 20 and later 50 percent. The Czech energy billionaire is continuing to expand his empire. His investments range from power plants to supermarkets and the post office to football clubs.
The Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is joining the steel division of the industrial group Thyssenkrupp through his company EPGC. Initially he will take a 20 percent stake, but the goal is “to form an equal 50/50 joint venture,” he explained at the joint press conference.
The lawyer and investor, who was born in Brno in 1975, is no longer unknown on the German financial market. An overview of Kretinsky’s business empire, which, according to Forbes, made him worth $9.7 billion:
Energy sector
Kretinsky has a 50 percent stake in the EP Holding Group (EPH). The Czech energy supply company consists of more than 70 companies from the energy sector. According to its own information, EPH controlled power plants with a capacity of 14 gigawatts last year, which gave the company a total turnover of 24.2 billion euros and a net profit of 4.7 billion euros.
The company holds a majority or large shares in brown coal, gas, renewable energy and nuclear power plants in, among others, the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Italy and Slovakia. In Slovakia, this also includes the gas pipeline operator EUSTREAM and gas storage facilities. In Germany, Kretinsky’s empire includes holdings in the East German lignite-fired power companies Mibrag and LEAG.
trade
In this country, Kretinsky also holds 49.99 percent of the voting rights in the food wholesaler Metro through his EPGC holding company. But in France too, he recently secured the voting rights of the Casino supermarket chain with a consortium operating under his leadership. In France, he also has a 30 percent stake in the electronics retailer Fnac Darty through his investment arm VESA Equity. There are also investments in the US sporting goods group Foot Locker and around ten percent in the British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s.
media
International Media Invest (IMI), a subsidiary of Kretinsky’s Czech Media Invest (CMI), also took over the French publishing group Editis last year. CMI is involved in several daily newspapers in the Czech Republic and in various titles such as “Elle” and “Marianne” in France. According to its own information, its investment arm VESA also holds over five percent of the television station TF1.
logistics
In addition to companies in the energy, retail and media industries, the billionaire is also expanding his empire in the distribution sector. Most recently, he reached out to the parent company of the British Royal Mail, International Distributions Services (IDS). Kretinsky already has a 27 percent stake there through his Vesa Equity Investment company. Ultimately, however, the billionaire wanted to swallow the company completely. However, she rejected his offers.
In addition to Royal Mail, which is struggling with the consequences of falling letter volumes, IDS also includes the parcel service and DHL competitor GLS. Outside Great Britain, Kretinsky also has a 30 percent stake in the Dutch PostNL and the French mail service provider Quadient.
football
Last but not least, Kretinsky also invests in professional football. In the Czech Republic, for example, he is the owner of the top club Sparta Prague. But in England he also has a 27 percent stake in the London Premier League club West Ham United.