Tycoon with a £37million seat of power
DANIEL KRETINSKY has amassed an eclectic array of assets and is a major player in the energy market.
The Czech billionaire’s power firm EPH – the largest in central Europe – is one of the biggest independent generators in the UK, where he has invested more than £2 billion. He owns several power stations including one in Lynemouth, Northumberland. Apart from owning more than a fifth of Royal Mail, he has another major UK shareholding – a 10 per cent stake in Sainsbury’s, where he is the second biggest investor. Both are held through Vesa Equity, a private firm registered in Luxembourg.
He has a 27 per cent stake in West Ham United and is co-owner of Czech club Sparta Prague. Elsewhere, his holdings include a stake in US department store chain Macy’s, French newspaper group Le Monde and Dutch postal group Post NL. He also featured in the Panama Papers – a leaked cache of confidential documents – in connection with a British Virgin Islands company called Wonderful Yacht Holdings.
He recently bought Chateau du Marais, near Paris, for £37million.