Ex-minister Pavel Drobil buys Czech electronics brand Niceboy

The founder of industrial group Anacot Capital and deputy chairman of the ODS party, Pavel Drobil, explained on the Money Maker podcast how he went from a modest lawyer in Ostrava to running a multi-billion-crown holding company — and why he decided to buy Czech electronics maker Niceboy, a move that surprised the entire market.

The acquisition of Niceboy was a real breakthrough for Drobil: until then his Anacot Capital group had remained a fairly low-profile player in the world of heavy industry and engineering, but after buying the well-known consumer electronics brand, people were talking about him far beyond narrow industrial circles. “I was surprised at how strong the market reaction was. Some people said we'd lost our minds, what were we getting into, while others said it made perfect sense,” admits the 54-year-old businessman.

Today Anacot Capital is far more than a collection of industrial and engineering businesses, which include making parts for oil and gas extraction, components for nuclear power plants, and bearings. In recent years the group has also been building up its retail arm, which is exactly where consumer electronics fits in. Thanks to a series of acquisitions, the holding has effectively doubled in size: the combined revenue of its companies is expected to reach 3.2–3.3 billion crowns this year, with EBITDA of 320 to 350 million crowns.

According to Drobil, the decision to buy Niceboy was made literally at the last moment — the bid was submitted in the final hour, after long deliberation over whether the brand would fit into the group's structure. Four buyers are known to have been in the running, but it was Anacot that offered Niceboy's founders the chance to keep the brand and team unchanged, with no replacement of management — the same approach the group applies to all its acquisitions.

Since 2024, Anacot Capital has already bought five companies, and Drobil admits it's time to slow down and give the new assets time to integrate. “We can only really talk about a clear business plan a year after a company joins the group and we've built out its supply chains and financial processes,” he explains, adding that growing too fast without proper integration can turn into a serious setback.

Among the group's ambitious plans is taking part of the business public. “We're close to deciding to list something within Anacot on the stock exchange. And over time, that could end up being an IPO for the whole group,” Drobil said on the podcast.