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Czech billionaire's EP Group enters Fortune Global 500 list

Daniel Křetínský leads EP Group into the world
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Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský's EP Group has entered the Fortune Global 500 for the first time — the annual ranking of the world's five hundred largest companies by revenue. Landing at No. 179, the Czech conglomerate leapfrogged household names such as Intel, Nike, Coca-Cola and L'Oréal, becoming the first Czech company ever to make the list.

According to the ranking, EP Group's 2025 revenue reached $75.4 billion (roughly 1.6 trillion crowns) — a 153% jump from the previous year. Under Fortune's methodology, net profit grew even faster, up 574% to $2.6 billion (55 billion crowns). The group now employs more than 184,000 people worldwide.

Making the Fortune Global 500 is more than just a badge of honour. Companies on the list typically find it easier to raise capital, negotiate with partners and suppliers, and attract talent — the ranking has long been a benchmark cited by economists, journalists and governments gauging the health of the global economy.

The leap was driven by a string of major acquisitions completed in 2025 that transformed EP Group from a largely energy-focused player into a diversified, pan-European conglomerate. In late March the group took control of the German wholesale chain Metro AG; a month later it completed the acquisition of Britain's International Distribution Services, owner of postal operator Royal Mail and logistics firm GLS; and in May it bought out Italy's Enel from its remaining stake in the Slovak energy company Slovenské elektrárne.

The historic core of Křetínský's empire remains the energy holding EPH, which he founded in 2009 and built into one of Europe's strongest energy players. Last year EPH posted EBITDA of €3.7 billion (90 billion crowns), and in the autumn it struck a strategic partnership with France's TotalEnergies, through which Křetínský became a shareholder in the French energy giant.

Today EP Group rests on three pillars: energy (EPH, Slovenské elektrárne, Germany's LEAG coal business), with €30.3 billion in revenue; logistics (Royal Mail, GLS), with €10.7 billion in revenue; and wholesale and retail (Metro, Košík.cz, FAST ČR, and the Spanish chains Caprabo and Eroski), with €25.8 billion in revenue. Altogether the group employs more than 265,000 people — an impressive scale for an empire that grew from a Czech energy business into a world-class global conglomerate.

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