Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 2, 2025
4 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky has built a vast business empire across Europe, with investments in energy, retail, and media sectors.
October 2 (Reuters) -Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, who has bought up businesses across Europe, on Thursday agreed to sell his 20% stake in Thyssenkrupp's steel unit, scrapping plans for a joint venture.
Kretinsky, 50, a former lawyer who built one of Europe's largest energy groups, Energeticky a Prumyslovy Holding (EPH), has acquired stakes in many companies spanning retail, media and postal services, and recently took over Britain's Royal Mail.
His net worth stands at $10.1 billion, according to an estimate by Forbes.
Kretinsky operates through various investment vehicles, including EP Group and VESA Equity Investment. The latter has a portfolio value of more than 3 billion euros ($3.52 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 more than 50% of 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, which the European Commission approved on March 26.
The energy business of EPCG reported a combined core profit (EBITDA) of 7.3 billion euros for 2023.
POSTAL SERVICES
* International Distribution Services
Britain cleared EP Group to buy the Royal Mail parent in a 3.57 billion pound ($4.79 billion) take-private deal in December after securing commitments that the government said would protect one of the world's oldest postal services.
EP Group said on April 3 the takeover had cleared all regulatory conditions, and Kretinsky became chairman of Royal Mail in June.
* PostNL
Kretinsky has a 30.1% stake in the Dutch mail and package delivery group through VESA, according to a December 2024 regulatory filing.
* Quadient
Kretinsky invested 1 billion Czech crowns ($48.35 million) in November 2023 to buy a stake in the French mailroom equipment company and has been building his stake since. VESA owned 25.04% of the voting rights as of September 22, the French markets regulator AMF said.
RETAIL
* Unieuro
French retailer Fnac Darty and Ruby Equity Investment, both linked to Kretinsky via VESA, took the Italian consumer electronics retailer 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 electronics and books retailer, with approximately 28% of Fnac Darty's voting rights.
* Foot Locker
VESA had a stake in the U.S. sportswear and footwear retailer which was taken over by Dick's Sporting Goods in September.
* Metro
The German retail group said on February 4 it had signed an agreement with EPGC, its largest shareholder with a 49.99% stake, for it to buy all the remaining shares and take the company private.
* 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
Kretinsky sold his 20% stake in Thyssenkrupp's steel unit Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe (TKSE) for around 140 million euros on Thursday, ending talks about a possible joint venture to create a German-Czech steel and energy giant.
* 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 = 0.8531 euros)
($1 = 0.7447 pounds)
($1 = 20.6840 Czech crowns)
(Compiled by Diana Mandiá, Jan Lopatka, Jason Hovet, Alessandro Parodi, Gianluca Lo Nostro and Jakob Van Calster; Editing by Milla Nissi and Helen Reid)
Equity investment refers to the purchase of shares in a company, providing the investor with ownership rights and potential dividends based on the company's performance.
Corporate governance is the system of rules, practices, and processes by which a company is directed and controlled, focusing on the interests of shareholders and stakeholders.
Wealth management is a comprehensive service that combines investment advice, financial planning, and other financial services to manage an individual's or family's wealth.
Financial markets are platforms where buyers and sellers engage in the trade of assets such as stocks, bonds, currencies, and derivatives, facilitating capital flow in the economy.
Investment is the act of allocating resources, usually money, in order to generate income or profit, often through purchasing assets like stocks, bonds, or real estate.
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