Sunday, December 22, 2024

What do we know about Royal Mail’s new owner Daniel Křetínský?

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According to the Sunday Times Rich List, the 49-year-old is now worth £6bn – up £2bn on 2023.

He has adopted low-profile approach to his business dealings, but what we do know about Mr Křetínský is that he made a large part of his money in Central and Eastern European energy via a labyrinthine structure of companies.

This includes Eustream, which transports Russian gas via pipelines that run through Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In the UK, Mr Křetínský has built up quite a portfolio in well-known brands through Vesa Equity Investment, a private firm which is registered in Luxembourg.

He holds big stakes in supermarket group Sainsbury’s and the sportswear retailer Footlocker.

And, like others in his wealth bracket, he has a football club or two. These include AC Sparta Prague, as well as Premier League club West Ham United in which he holds a 27% stake.

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