Four Czech and Slovak tycoons buy Polish pharmacy chain Gemini Polska

Czech and Slovak investment groups have entered the Polish pharmacy market: Penta Investments, Sev.en, Creditas and Auctor Holding (J&T group) have jointly bought the Gemini Polska chain, one of the largest in the country. Each of the four investors owns 25% of the company.

The news portal e15 was the first to report on this unusual deal, which brought together four business titans of the region. According to its information, the purchase took place as early as the end of last year. Before that, Gemini Polska had been owned for ten years by the American investment fund Warburg Pincus. The deal is estimated to be worth from the middle to the upper single-digit billions of crowns.

The new owners have committed to preserving their mutual independence. This arrangement allows them to comply with Polish rules meant to prevent excessive concentration of ownership in the pharmacy sector.

Representing the Sev.en group in the deal is Pavel Tykač. He is among the richest Czechs, and his business is focused on energy and mining. Besides Czechia, he operates abroad, including in the United States and Australia. In Forbes' 2026 ranking, his fortune is estimated at 188 billion crowns.

Another investor is Marek Dospiva, co-founder and co-owner of Penta Investments. The group operates in healthcare, real estate and financial services. Its well-known assets include the Dr. Max pharmacy chain, the bookmaker Fortuna and the Penta Hospitals network. Forbes estimated Dospiva's fortune this year at 56 billion crowns.

The circle of investors is completed by Creditas, owned by the Hubáček family, and Auctor Holding, linked to the J&T financial group. Through Auctor, the family of Slovak billionaire Patrik Tkáč also takes part in the deal indirectly. According to e15, given J&T's broad ownership structure, its stake in the company is around 12%.

By the Around Prague newsroom