History of CIMEX GROUP
Since its foundation, CIMEX GROUP has been highly progressive entrepreneurial subject, resp. group of companies. Its history is thus written by its everyday operations, business achievements and subsequent progress and growth.
On June 14, 1990, Mrs. Jana Sobotová and Mr. Petr Lukeš founded CIMEX Karlovy Vary, spol. s r.o.. The company’s operations were mainly in the area of international trade & business, and CIMEX Karlovy Vary s.r.o. featured its own logistics/freight services.
In 1991, Investiční společnost CIMEX INVEST a.s. (ISCI) was founded. ISCI featured its own investment privatization funds and participated in both 1st and 2nd round of coupon privatization. Consequently, its portfolio contained over one hundred titles/companies and featured over 50 thousand shareholders.
During 1990´s CIMEX presented itself by various reconstructions/retrofits of landmark real estate, for example the Excelsior Hotel in Mariánské Lázně, Vindobona in Karlovy Vary or Poštovní Dvůr in Karlovy Vary (shares of the respective company were designed by master of arts Oldřich Kulhánek).
In 1993, CIMEX TRADING a.s., a securities trader, was founded and admitted to the Prague Stock Exchange.
In 1994, CIMEX GROUP
was established as an umbrella organization featuring various companies, such
as:
ENERGOPROJEKT PRAHA
a.s., Mechanizace traťového hospodářství a.s., Metroprojekt Praha, Vodní
zdroje, IB LEAS, a.s., CONCORDIA a.s.. Tatra Kopřivnice a.s., VT DIOSS Chomutov
a.s., OREA spol. s r.o. and many others.
In 2000, new franchise brand OREA HOTELS s.r.o. was introduced to the market, quickly gaining its dominant position through wide service portfolio and newly reconstructed hotels and resorts.
Consequently, subsidiary firm CIMEX INEST Inc. invested in various real estate & development projects in the USA.
In 2005 OREA HOTELS a.s. expanded its business activities into café operations by acquiring a major share in NEW EMPORIO a.s., company operating a chain of luxury cafés branded EMPORIO CAFÉ.
In 2007, a standard acquisition/organizational structure of CIMEX GROUP was established under Netherlands-seated company Philibert International Group N.V.
The year 2009 was called a year of global financial crisis, but for CIMEX GROUP it was also a year of new investments and business opportunities. CIMEX build on its history of ownership of major companies from the industrial sector, and once again was actively involved in the successful investments, especially in energy industry.
As a part of its portfolio, Cimex Group also featured traditional players within the energy sector. Among them was ENERGOPROJEKT PRAHA a.s., one of the most important Czech energy sector companies, specializing in full project, design and engineering portfolio for major Czech and Slovakian power plants, including coal power plants Melnik, Chvaletice, Detmarovice, Tisová, Tusimice, Prunérov, but also nuclear power plants JE Temelín, JE Dukovany, JE Jaslovské Bohunice, JE Mochovce.
ENERGOPROJEKT PRAHA a.s. was also the sole shareholder of Energoinvest a.s, that completed the modernization of heating plant Cerveny Mlyn in Brno or the reconstruction of water purification plant in the Energy center in Kladno.
Throughout the years, the above companies were restructured in order to cumulate industrial and energy portfolio within the Cimex Group. Parts of the portfolio were sold outside of the Cimex Group, for example to CEZ Group.
