Kaprain investment group and Agrofert have agreed on the sale of Synthesia chemical enterprise, Mafra and LONDA. Kaprain will acquire 100% of the equity in these companies subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities.
“The divestment of these assets will enable us to focus more on our core business segments in the future, to develop them faster and, in particular, to expand more rapidly in our areas and regions of interest. We have chosen an investor who should be a guarantee of further successful development for Synthesia, Mafra and LONDA,” says Zbyněk Průša, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AGROFERT, the second largest fertilizer producer in Europe and the largest agricultural and food group in Central Europe.
“Today we signed our biggest acquisition to date. With the acquisition of Synthesia, we will significantly strengthen our position in the European specialty chemicals market and become one of the most important players in the region,” says Kaprain Group owner Karel Pražák.
One of the pillars of the Kaprain Group is Spolchemie, which is one of the largest resin producers in Europe and has a strong position in the paint segment. Kaprain Group also includes the traditional Slovak chemical company Fortischem. It is the synergy of these companies with Synthesia that will enable further growth and development.
“We will use synergies at all levels. We will significantly strengthen our position on the European specialty chemicals market, complement our product portfolio and take advantage of the intersection between customers and distributors of all these companies,” explains Daniel Tamchyna, Spolchemie’s CEO, and emphasizes: “But we will also use key synergies in applied research, including patents and licenses, which are the main drivers of successful development. Together, we will be able to manage the process of decarbonizing our own corporate energy facilities much more easily and the acquired premises will enable us to build new plants in the field of specialty chemicals.”
All of these chemical companies have a turnover of almost CZK 20 billion, the vast majority of which is exported, and employ almost 3,500 people.
Kaprain Group will become the owner of Synthesia’s Pardubice chemical plants after the transaction is approved by the relevant antitrust authorities.
“Synthesia is an excellently managed company with a successful track record, so we firmly believe in a quick integration into the Kaprain Group,” explains Daniel Tamchyna.
Together with Synthesia, Kaprain is also acquiring the Mafra and LONDA group of companies. The group includes not only media (daily newspapers, online media, radio stations and TV), but also a printing company and TicketPortal, as well as the Impuls radio station operator. With the purchase of Mafra and LONDA, the Kaprain Group enters a completely new segment. Thus, the familiarization process and any subsequent steps will take a little longer than in the case of Synthesia. The Kaprain Group will therefore not comment on further actions in Mafra and LONDA, at least until the relevant antitrust authorities have given their approval.