Factbox: Czech billionaire Kretinsky's sprawling empire

Television Francaise 1 SA

17/07/2023 13:00

(Adds Casino in retail section, updates throughout)
       July 17 (Reuters) - Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky
stepped closer to taking over debt-laden French retailer Casino
 CASP.PA  on Monday after rival bidders dropped out of the race.
    Kretinsky, 47, 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 for investments.
    His net worth stands at $9.7 billion, according to Forbes.  
    Kretinsky's investment vehicle VESA Equity Investment has a
portfolio valued at more than 3 billion euros ($3.37 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
    The group, in which Kretinsky holds 50%+1 share, comprises
more than 70 energy-related companies and reported combined
revenue of 37 billion euros in 2022. EPH controls a total
installed capacity of 14 gigawatts (GW), according to the
company's website. 
    It has controlling or large stakes in lignite, gas,
renewable and nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic, United
Kingdom, Slovakia, Italy and elsewhere.
    The group also includes Slovak gas transit pipeline operator
Eustream, gas storage firms, cargo and commodity trading
businesses.

    RETAIL   
* Casino  CASP.PA  
    Kretinsky is now the only bidder for debt-laden retailer
Casino, after rival 3F Holding Group pulled out of the race on
July 16. In an interview with the Financial Times published on
the same day, Kretinsky said he had submitted a revised offer.
    Along with Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere’s Fimalac, he would
inject 1.2 billion euros in equity to take a 53% stake in
Casino, he said, adding that the bidders would also convert 4.9
billion euros of debt into equity. 
* Fnac Darty  FNAC.PA 
    Kretinsky's investment vehicle VESA Equity Investment has
also become the largest shareholder of French retailer Fnac
Darty, crossing a 25% threshold in March, according to French
markets regulator AMF. 
* Foot Locker  FL.N 
    Kretinsky's VESA owns 12.3% voting rights in the U.S.
sportswear and footwear retailer.
* Metro  B4B.DE  
    Kretinsky holds 40.6% of German retail group Metro's voting
rights, being the controlling shareholder of the group,
according to Refinitiv data. 
* Sainsbury's  SBRY.l  
    VESA Equity Investment also built a 9.99% stake in the
British supermarket group, Refinitiv data said.

MEDIA   
* Editis 
    France's Vivendi  VIV.PA , controlled by billionaire Vincent
Bollore, agreed in June to sell its publishing business Editis
to International Media Invest (IMI), a subsidiary of Kretinsky's
Czech Media Invest (CMI).
    CMI publishes four daily newspapers, a number of magazines,
and has an extensive digital and radio presence in the Czech
Republic.
* Elle, Marianne    
    The Czech investor owns via CMI several French titles such
as Elle and news magazine Marianne, according to the CMI
website.
* Le Monde
    Kretinsky has held a minority stake in French newspaper Le
Monde since 2018, Reuters reported. 
* TF1
    Kretinsky's Vesa holds 5% in French TV company TF1,
according to Refinitiv data.

OTHER    
* Atos  ATOS.PA  
    French newspaper Le Monde reported in March that French
technology consultancy Atos was in talks with Kretinsky about
the possible sale of its Tech Foundations business. 
* 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 ($63.16
million) into the group over two years to support its
international expansion. 
* PostNL  PTNL.AS  
    Daniel Kretinsky has accumulated a 31.4% stake in the Dutch
mail and packages delivery through his investment arm VESA
Equity, a regulatory filing showed in November.
* International Distributions Services  IDSI.L  
    Kretinsky's VESA is the biggest shareholder in International
Distributions Services, the parent of Britain's Royal Mail,
holding a 26.15% stake, according to Refinitiv data. 
* West Ham
    Daniel Kretinsky's 1890s Holdings group holds a 27% stake in
English Premier League soccer club West Ham United, according to
the club's website, adding to his ownership of the leading Czech
team Sparta Prague. 
    
    ($1 = 0.8899 euros)

 (Compiled by Laura Lenkiewicz, Diana Mandiá, Jan Lopatka and
Jason Hovet; Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Milla Nissi and Jan
Harvey)
 ((diana.mandiaalvarez@thomsonreuters.com;
laura.lenkiewicz@thomsonreuters.com))