Our investment group was founded in 2013 and has been developed for more than 10 years by Karel Pražák. The portfolio and the team of experts have been growing steadily, but the values on which we are based have not changed since the beginning. We are not afraid to take risks and look for hidden potential that we are able to develop better than others. This, too, is why we now employ more than 6,000 people, hold assets worth more than CZK 40 billion and generated a profit of more than CZK 3 billion in 2023.
GOING UP
The story of KAPRAIN Group
Our history
We acquired Trelleborg Bohemia
We acquired Trelleborg Bohemia (former Gumokov), based in Hradec Králové, from the Trelleborg Group. The company mainly produces components for the automotive industry, of which the most important product group is anti-vibration solutions. In 2021, we acquired Rubena based in Náchod from the same group.
Penta Real Estate joins the Howden ČKD project
We have entered into a cooperation agreement with Penta Real Estate to build on the land of the former Howden ČKD factory. Penta bought a 40% stake in the project, which will create a new center of Prague’s Vysočany and Libeň districts on an area of over 50,000 m².
We purchased the former Howden ČKD premises
On a brownfield site in close proximity to the O2 Arena in Libeň and an area of 53,000 m², we will build a new full-fledged urban district, which should become the new center of Prague 9. The land is directly adjacent to the Harfa Business Center office complex, which we recently built.
We acquired Synthesia, Mafra and Londa
We have agreed with Agrofert to buy the Synthesia chemical plants and the Mafra media company. The transaction also includes Londa, which operates Impuls, the second-most listened-to Czech radio station. The transaction is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities.
We are expanding Majaland
We are expanding the largest indoor amusement park in the Czech Republic by an outdoor area of 5,000 m². The new attractions include a traffic park with 12 electric cars, a mega trampoline, flying bikes and an 18-seater carousel.
Marcel Dostal becomes Chief Executive Officer of the Group
The new CEO of Kaprain Group as of 1 July 2023 is Marcel Dostal, who has been leading the Group’s development in the telecommunications market. Marcel Dostal will be joined by Jan Kolací as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
We are selling Nej.cz
We have entered into an agreement with CETIN to sell Nej.cz, a provider of high-speed Internet access and television content services. CETIN will primarily acquire high-speed fiber-optic infrastructure, which is available to half a million households in several regions of the Czech Republic.
KAPRAIN acquired a majority stake in the Oaks Prague project
KAPRAIN Group has entered the residential project Oaks Prague, which is being built in Nebřenice, southeast of Prague. The project offers not only premium homes in the middle of nature, but also a wide range of amenities, including a golf course.
Dinosauria Museum Prague is growing
New exhibits are being added to Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops and other Dinosauria heroes. The new exhibit includes a skeleton of the carnivorous Allosaurus Ali and a realistic model of the Stegasaurus, Sven.
More than half a million households are connected to the Nej.cz network
KAPRAIN Group has completed the acquisition of SMART Comp. In the Czech telecommunications market, in the field of fixed connection services, it has thus gradually gained third place with 236,000 active lines in more than 500,000 connected households.
Harfa Business Center B approved
KAPRAIN Group has doubled the office space it offers in close proximity to Prague’s O2 Arena. More than 30,000 m² of office space, 1,500 m² of retail space and almost 300 parking spaces have been created in the new building, with ten floors above ground and two basement levels.
KAPRAIN returns roller coaster to Prague
KAPRAIN Group has opened the largest indoor amusement park in the Czech Republic, continuing the development of POP Airport. Children and their parents can enjoy 12 attractions, including a 220-metre roller coaster and the longest indoor slide in the Czech Republic. The whole park, individual attractions and the whole accompanying program are designed in the theme of the fairy tale characters Maya the Bee (včelka Mája), Vilík and Viking Vik.
Dinosauria Museum Prague opens in POP Airport
The POP Airport entertainment and outlet center is growing. The Dinosauria Museum Prague combines hundreds of millions of years of fossils with the latest technology to open up a whole new journey into prehistoric times. Within the museum’s gates, there are also original dinosaur skeletons up to 24 metres long and 154 million years old, a realistic Tyrannosaurus rex model, virtual reality and a collection of more than six thousand fossils and minerals.
KAPRAIN acquired Rubena based in Náchod
KAPRAIN Group acquired Rubena Náchod, a rubber company. It bought the company from the Swedish group Trelleborg. Rubena Náchod supplies a wide range of rubber products, including bicycle tires and tubes, to the Czech and foreign markets.
The President's Cup returns to Sparta
HC Sparta Prague won its third ever President’s Cup for the winner of the regular season, after seven years of waiting. The championship was decided after the penultimate game of the regular season, in which Sparta defeated Brno Kometa 5:0.
KAPRAIN acquires majority in Spolchemie
KAPRAIN Group won the auction and acquired almost 400,000 shares of Spolchemie. It increased its shareholding in one of the largest Czech chemical companies by almost 10% and thus reached a majority stake.
KAPRAIN succeeded in the 5G auction and continues to strengthen its position in the telecommunications market
KAPRAIN Group has succeeded in the 5G auction held by the Czech Telecommunications Office and has been awarded 3,500 MHz frequency allocation. This will enable the company to offer high-speed Internet and TV content even in areas with lower population density, which are usually dependent on not very fast and less reliable Wi-Fi connections. At the same time, Kaprain completed the acquisition of several competitors. As a result, it now provides its services to nearly 200,000 households.
KAPRAIN is building a gateway to Pařížská Street
KAPRAIN Group has started the renovation of the building of former headquarters of the International Union of Students. It will build 1,500 m² of new retail space on one of the most lucrative shopping streets in Central Europe. The building will also house 16 premium apartments, including underground parking.
Construction of Harfa Business Center continues with another building
KAPRAIN Group has started the next stage of construction of the Harfa Business Center administrative complex. It will double the area of office space it offers in close proximity to Prague’s O2 arena. The new building, with ten floors above ground and two basement levels, will provide more than 30,000 m² of office space, 1,500 m² of retail space and almost 300 parking spaces.
KAPRAIN strengthens its position in Spolchemie
The KAPRAIN investment group has become the second largest shareholder of the Spolchemie chemical company in Ústí nad Labem. The Group has gradually purchased shares from various sellers in a volume that will allow it to have a decisive influence in the company.
Premium Outlet Prague Airport becomes an entertainment center for the whole family
Premium Outlet Prague Airport celebrated its first anniversary and introduced its future range of entertainment attractions. Customers can already enjoy a unique collection of cars – Engine Classic Cars Gallery. Soon there will be a new interactive information system for tracking aircraft taking off and landing at Ruzyně Airport. Preparations are underway for a dinosaur museum – the Dinosauria Museum Prague with original 150 million-year-old fossils of extinct giants and state-of-the-art virtual reality experiences – and the largest indoor amusement park for families with children in the Czech Republic – Majaland Prague. All under one roof and directly connected to Premium Outlet Prague Airport.
First tenants move into Harfa Business Center
The new office building next to Prague’s O2 Arena offers its tenants a total of 30,000 m² of office space. Before the end of 2019, this space will be fully occupied by two companies: ISCARE, specialist clinical centre, and CETIN, the operator of the largest telecommunications network in the Czech Republic.
HC Sparta Praha, a new addition to KAPRAIN Group
In May, the KAPRAIN Group bought 100% of the shares of the hockey club HC Sparta Praha from its former owner and successful goalkeeper, Petr Bříza. After the arrival of the new owner, the new management of the club arrived and more reinforcements came.
The new outlet mall near the airport changes to Premium Outlet Prague Airport
Following the arrival of new management in October 2018 and the termination of cooperation with the Spanish operator NEINVER, the strategy and name of the newly opened outlet center at the Václav Havel Airport in Prague has changed. Since March, it has been using the new name Premium Outlet Prague Airport. KAPRAIN Group, the investor, becomes the operator of the “POP”.
Nej.cz continues its acquisitions
After the successful acquisition of RIO Media and KT Mimoň in 2017, Nej.cz bought Telconet and Kyklop, which provide connectivity in northern Moravia. The Nej.cz Group thus serves 220,000 households and further strengthens its position as the third largest Internet and TV provider in the Czech Republic.
A strong development subgroup is emerging
The growing portfolio of real estate projects leads to the formation of KAPRAIN Development and KAPRAIN Facility Management teams. This develops the Group’s separate capabilities for the design, development, construction and operation of properties.
Prague The Style Outlets welcomes its first customers
In the spring, a new outlet center opened as planned, near Prague’s Václav Havel Airport. The KAPRAIN Group is a major investor in the project to rebuild and open the center. Approximately 100 outlet stores on 20,000 m² will be prepared for customers in an environment inspired by the streets of historic Prague for the first phase, with a further 10,000 m² to be opened in the second phase. PTSO will thus become the largest outlet center in the Czech Republic.
DOC Mercury is undergoing a refurbishment
The owner of the Mercury transport and shopping centre – the KAPRAIN investment group – is beginning to prepare a long-term concept for the development of the center with a total usable area of over 60,000 m² and 10 thousand visitors a day. The centre, located in České Budějovice, will undergo a significant refurbishment, increasing the security of the centre and improving the comfort of visitors, tenants and passengers.
Start of construction in Libeň, Prague
The construction of a new office building near Prague’s O2 Arena was officially launched with the ceremonial tapping of the cornerstone. A total of 30,000 m² of office space, large underground parking, a café, a pharmacy and a cafeteria are planned for the ten-story building. The investors of the project are investment groups KAPRAIN Group and Lighthouse Group.
KAPRAIN acquired RIO Media
KAPRAIN Industrial Holding has signed an agreement with ARGUS Capital to acquire a 100% stake in RIO Media a. s., the third largest provider of high-speed Internet and digital television in the Czech Republic. KAPRAIN has thus followed up on its acquisition of Nej.cz and more than doubled the number of its customers. Its services will now be used by more than 200,000 households.
KAPRAIN becomes a major creditor of Spolchemie
With the gradual purchase of receivables from the Society for Chemical and Metallurgical Production (Spolchemie), KAPRAIN has become the second largest creditor and continues to help finance the company’s development, in particular by investing in the new potassium hydroxide production technology, membrane electrolysis.
Karel Pražák helps with the sale of Eden stadium
CEFC Europe is buying the Eden stadium in Vršovice with the help of the owner of the KAPRAIN investment group. Karel Pražák, in his role as advisor to the original owner, whom he had already assisted with the purchase, brokered the sale and helped to unify the ownership of the stadium and Slavia soccer club.
Romana Benešová is coming to manage KAPRAIN Group
Romana Benešová becomes the head of the KAPRAIN investment group. Previously, she worked for over twenty years at the consulting company KPMG, where she combined several senior positions during her tenure. She becomes the second-highest person in the hierarchy of KAPRAIN investment group. Her only superior is Karel Pražák, the owner of the company.
Purchase of real estate and the Mrakodrapy na Chodově project
The KAPRAIN investment group has acquired a skyscraper development project in Prague’s Chodov district for its real estate portfolio. KAPRAIN acquired the planned skyscrapers called Prague Eye Towers from the PPF investment group.
Investment in the Vítězné náměstí project
KAPRAIN Group acquired a 100% stake in Vítězné náměstí. Subsequently, it sold fifty percent to the Penta investment group, with which it plans to build a residential building in the gap between Verdunská and Jugoslávských partyzánů streets. The architect of the new residential project is the well-known architectural studio Jakub Cigler Architekti.
Purchase of real estate and the Pařížská project
The KAPRAIN investment group has purchased the former headquarters of the International Union of Students, which is located opposite the Faculty of Law of Charles University, on the most lucrative street in Prague. The company would like to redevelop the building for future commercial use.
Investment in AVE CZ odpadové hospodářství
KAPRAIN investment group has become a co-owner of AVE CZ odpadové hospodářství (Waste Management), which has been operating on the Czech market since 1993. AVE CZ currently employs over 2,000 people and is one of the largest waste management companies in the Czech Republic as well as Central and Eastern Europe.
Acquisition of Nej.cz
The KAPRAIN investment group has acquired a 100% stake in Nej.cz, the second-largest cable TV provider in the Czech Republic, from the Maltese company BKS Cable Limited. In addition to cable TV, Nej.cz also provides Internet access, fixed telephone lines and mobile services to 70,000 households.
Investment in Prague The Style Outlets
KAPRAIN financial group has invested in Prague The Style Outlets, a new outlet center near Prague’s Václav Havel Airport. The center is being built here thanks to the cooperation of the Spanish real estate company Neinver with KAPRAIN Group. It will offer a large number of shops with luxury goods. Moreover, its interior is to resemble the atmosphere of old Prague’s streets and the historic city centre.
Investment in MAXIMA insurance company
KAPRAIN Group has invested in Maxima pojišt’ovna, an insurance company that has been present in the Czech market since 1994. The insurance company primarily offers classic insurance products, but in addition, it also provides insurance for mobile devices in the Czech Republic. Maxima pojišt’ovna currently has 40 employees and is headquartered in Prague.
Purchase of land near the O2 Arena
The KAPRAIN investment group bought a large parking lot next to the O2 Arena in Prague-Vysočany, where it decided to build several office buildings, a hotel and residential buildings. The land was acquired in cooperation with Tamir Winterstein’s Lighthouse Group, which retained a minority stake.
Establishment of the KAPRAIN investment group
After twenty years of successful cooperation with PPF Group, Karel Pražák decided to go into business for himself. Following an agreement with Petr Kellner, he bought AB-Credit, a specialist in debt trading, which he had previously managed for many years. In addition, he took some domestic real estate projects from PPF. On these foundations, he began to build his own investment group.
