Investment Approach

Olympia Group aims to ensure long term profitable growth through a diversified portfolio

Group’s orientation

The group was founded by Panos Germanos in 1980 and started as a family business that soon developed into one of the most successful Telco distribution networks in Europe. In recent years Olympia has transformed itself into a market-oriented group, whilst also upholding closely the values of entrepreneurship that have been passed down by its founder. Today Olympia is an International Investment Group consisting of five portfolio companies and minority stake across six different sectors. The group operates in 8 countries across two continents.

Groups’ Investment Approach

Olympia Group aims to ensure long term profitable growth in different sectors, investing in companies that have the potential to become leaders, capitalizing on economic and sector trends.

PORTFOLIO: We are the leading shareholder in most of our portfolio companies.

SEEDS: We explore investments in early stage companies that are active in sectors directly correlated to our core investments.

FOCUS ON WHAT WE KNOW TO DO WELL: We focus on industries where we have accumulated experience.

LONG TERM VALUE: We have a strategic approach in unlocking long-term value and growth potential,exiting when the price is right.

THINK BIG: We only invest in companies that have the potential to become leaders in their region/sector.

OPEN TO STRATEGIC PARTNESHIPS: Successful equity co-investments with other partner funds.

BUILD STRONG TEAMS: We support strong professionals and talent and create leadership teams to back up our investments. We have high caliber professionals in 8 countries sharing knowledge, expertise and resources.

EXPERTISE: We have extensive expertise in successful IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) and M&As (Mergers and Acquisitions) transactions in various industries.

RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT: We invest only in sectors and companies that are not in conflict with our responsible profile. We exclude companies that don’t meet ESG factors (environmental, social and governance).

Olympia at a Glance

€1bn AUM
Invested in 10 companies (throughout our history)
Operating since: 1980

Employees: 4000
Geographic Presence: 8 countries
Sectors: Retail & Etail, Energy Storage, Telecoms, Distribution, Software, Real Estate

Portfolio Snapshot

OVERVIEW OF PORTFOLIO COMPANIES

Leading Stories

Success stories in unlocking growth potential and long-term development

Germanos S.A.
Hellenic Duty Free Shops
Unitel
MTN
PLAY
PMM
PLAY

Germanos S.A. : 1980-2006

Held for 26 years
Became a leading European telco distribution retailer
1,150 stores in seven countries
IPO in 2001, One of the first and the largest IPOs in Greece
In October 2006 GERMANOS S.A. was sold to OTE Group – the leading mobile operator in Greece and the Balkans
Cosmote acquired the retail network and sales expertise in the countries where it was also present as an operator
Transaction: €1,5 billion
Germanos was considered as the main tool for the sales growth of Cosmote in its key markets

Hellenic Duty Free Shops : 2003-2006

Held for three years
CEE region
One of the largest retailers in Greece
Succeeded the further growth of the company as one of the top retailers
In May 2006 GERMANOS S.A. sold to FOLLI FOLLIE Group its stake in HDFS for €202mil
Folli Follie acquired control of the company (52%) and became one of the largest retailers in Greece

Unitel : 2004-2006

Held for one year
Uzbekistan telco market
Succeeded the turnaround of the operator in an emerging market
Germanos S.A. acquired 93% in the second operator “Unitel” in Dec ’04 for $73.5mil
Sold the company to Russian Vimpelcom (Beeline) in January 2006 for $200mil

MTN : 2008-2013

Held for five years
Cyprus telco market
Successful entry and exit of a telco operator in a developed market
Entry in 2000 as a joint venture with CTC, the largest trading group in Cyprus
In 2007 Olympia Group and CTC contributed retail network to MTN CY and acquired 49% stake through a partnership structure
In 2013 Olympia sold its stake in ΜΤΝ CY to MTN Group for €22mil

PLAY: 2007- current investment

Successful entry of a telco operator in a developed and fragmented market
Polish telco market
PLAY was listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in July 2017
Completed the largest ever non-privatization IPO (€1bn) of a Polish company

PMM: 2005 – current investment

Creation of the largest omnichannel retail and e-tail company in Greece and Cyprus: PMM company
Greece and Cyprus
Εntry in 2005 in a highly competitive and fragmented retail market
In 2019 completed a landmark deal between Public and Media Markt disrupting the consumer electronics and home appliances market
Public-Olympia Group is the majority shareholder with a 75% stake in the new company while MediaMarktSaturn owns 25%

PLAY: 2007- 2020

Held for 13 years
Polish telco market
From Zero to Hero: PLAY became leading operator in a fragmented telecoms market with 15MLN subscribers
Iliad announced its intention to acquire operator PLAY at an enterprise value of c. €3.5 billion.
This alliance with the Iliad Group marks an important chapter in Play’s history

Investment Committee

The Investments Committee’s primary purpose is to develop the Company’s Investment Strategy, according to its needs and overall circumstances. Mr. Ioannis Karagiannis Executive Chairman of Olympia Group and Chairman of the BoD holds the role of Chair of the Investments Committee.