1. Škoda Auto
Škoda Auto, more commonly known as Škoda, is a Czech automobile manufacturer founded in 1895 as Laurin & Klement. It is headquartered in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic.
In 1925 Laurin & Klement was acquired by Škoda Works which itself became state owned during the days of the Communist government. After 1991 it was gradually privatized and in 2000 Škoda became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.
Škoda has maintained sound financial stability over recent years. In 2013 the brand achieved sales revenues totalling €10.3 billion (2012: €10.4 billion). Due to the weak economic situation in many European countries and the expansion of the model range, operating profit reached a modest 522 million euros (2012: €712 million). Škoda achieved a successful start to 2014: As well as recording the highest number of deliveries to customers in a first quarter ever (247,200; up 12.1%), it recorded a significant increase in sales revenue (23.7%) to almost 3 billion euros. Operating profit increased 65.2% to 185 million Euros over the previous year.
- ČEZ Group
ČEZ Group (Czech: Skupina ČEZ České Energetické Závody) is a conglomerate of 96 companies (including the parent company ČEZ, a.s.), 72 of them in the Czech Republic. Its core business is the generation, distribution, trade in, and sales of electricity and heat, trade in and sales of natural gas, and coal extraction. ČEZ Group operates also in Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey. ČEZ, a.s. is listed on Prague Stock Exchange and Warsaw Stock Exchange. ČEZ is the largest utility and biggest public company in Central and Eastern Europe. Its majority shareholder is the Czech government, owning 70% of shares. Its historical political activities have come under scrutiny.
In January 2013 Albania started a dispute by removing CEZ license to operate in Albania. In June 2014 both parties agreed to settle a dispute. Albania will pay CEZ 100 million euros by 2018 in yearly installments, an amount roughly equal to CEZ’s initial investment.
- Agrofert
Agrofert is an Czech conglomerate holding company headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic. It operates through agriculture, food, chemical, construction, logistics, forestry, energy and mass media industries in the European Union and China. It was founded in 1993 by businessman Andrej Babiš, he was its sole owner until 2017. In 2010s he started to be involved in politic, became Finance Minister of the Czech Republic in 2014.[5] In 2017 by new conflict of interest legislation he was forced to transfer ownership of company to trust funds controlled by his family and co-workers.
- RWE Supply & Trading CZ
RWE Supply & Trading CZ is the largest natural gas trading company in the Czech Republic. It is owned by the German energy company RWE.
The group used to own pipelines from Lanžhot on Czech-Slovak border to Germany. Its market position deteriorated in 1997 when competing Yamal-Europe pipelinewas put into operation. Another threat was the Nord Stream linking Russia and Germany via Baltic sea. Its past subsidiaries include RWE Gas Storage (owns and operates several underground storages located in the Czech Republic).
- Třinec Iron and Steel Works
Třinec Iron and Steel Works (TŽ) (Czech: Třinecké železárny, Polish: Huta trzyniecka) is a producer of long rolled steel products in Třinec, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. TŽ produces over a third of all steel produced in the Czech Republic (roughly 2.5 million tons annually). Since its establishment, Třinecké železárny’s plants have produced more than 150 million tons of crude steel. Moravia Steel is the major shareholder of TŽ, the biggest Czech steel company controlled by domestic capital.
