Factbox: Czech billionaire Kretinsky's sprawling empire

Television Francaise 1 SA

17/04/2024 15:03

(Updates with latest on Royal Mail, Quadient, updates Atos,
Casino, Metro, Fnac Darty, Thyssenkrupp, Editis)
       April 17 (Reuters) - Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky
has been on a buying spree in France and Britain, where he is
working on improving an offer for the owner of Britain's Royal
Mail. 
    He has at least six investments in France, three in Britain
and one in Germany.
    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.
    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 ($3.15 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, according to the company's
website. 
    It has controlling or large stakes in lignite, gas,
renewable and nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic,
Britain, Slovakia, Italy and elsewhere.
    The group also includes Slovak gas transit pipeline operator
Eustream, gas storage firms, cargo and commodity trading
businesses.

    POSTAL SERVICES
* International Distributions Services  IDSI.L 
    Kretinsky is working on improving an offer for International
Distributions Services, the parent of Britain's Royal Mail,
according to a source with knowledge of the plans on April 17,
after his investment vehicle said it had made a non-binding bid
this month which was rejected.
    VESA Equity is the biggest shareholder in International
Distributions Services, holding a 27% stake, according to LSEG
data. 
* PostNL  PTNL.AS 
    Kretinsky has accumulated a 31.4% stake in the Dutch mail
and package delivery group through VESA Equity, a regulatory
filing showed in November 2022.
    * Quadient  QDT.PA  
        Kretinsky invested 1 billion Czech crowns ($42.22
million) in November to buy a stake in the French mailroom
equipment company. His vehicle VESA owns 10% of the voting
rights, according to its website.
  
        
  
    RETAIL   
* Casino  CASP.PA  
    Kretinsky's Casino buyout consortium said in February that
the Paris Commerce court had approved its plan to bail out the
debt-laden French retailer under an accelerated protection
procedure.
    The French retailer said on Oct. 5 it had sealed a deal to
avert bankruptcy through a debt restructuring agreed with its
main creditors, led by Kretinsky. This finalised a July
agreement in principle that called for 1.2 billion euros of new
money to be injected into Casino and a reduction of its debt by
6.1 billion euros. A consortium led by Kretinsky will end up
with 50.4% to 53% of Casino shares, based on the July agreement.
* Fnac Darty  FNAC.PA 
    Kretinsky's VESA Equity also became the largest shareholder
of French retailer Fnac Darty, crossing a 25% threshold in
March, according to French markets regulator AMF. VESA owns 29%
of Fnac Darty's voting rights, according to the investment
vehicle's website.
* Foot Locker  FL.N 
    Kretinsky's VESA Equity owns 12.3% voting rights in the U.S.
sportswear and footwear retailer.
* Metro  B4B.DE  
    Kretinsky holds 49.99% of the German retail group's voting
rights, German weekly "Lebensmittelzeitung" reported in March,
and is the controlling shareholder of the group.
* Sainsbury's  SBRY.L  
    VESA Equity also has a 9.99% stake in the British
supermarket group, LSEG 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.
    Vivendi said in November it would receive a total of 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.
* TF1
    VESA Equity holds 5% in French TV company TF1, according to
LSEG data.

OTHER
* Atos  ATOS.PA 
     Kretinsky is in renewed talks to buy Atos' loss-making Tech
Foundations branch, Bloomberg reported in February, a day after
talks over a 2 billion-euro deal had collapsed. The deal would
also give Kretinsky a 7.5% stake in Atos' remaining business, to
be renamed Eviden.
* DoDo
    Logistics firm DoDo, which provides fast delivery services
to customers in e-commerce, retail and food delivery, said in
May 2022 Kretinsky would inject 60 million euros ($63.16
million) into the group over two years to support its
international expansion. 
* Thyssenkrupp  TKAG.DE 
    German newspaper Handelsblatt reported in September
Thyssenkrupp was in talks to sell 50% of its steel division to
Kretinsky.
    The conglomerate's CEO said in January that weakening steel
markets were complicating the talks.
* West Ham
    Kretinsky's 1890s Holdings group has 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 = 0.9520 euros)
($1 = 23.6830 Czech crowns)

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