This year's exits make 20 new millionaires in euros

The cumulated value of exit deals conducted by local entrepreneurs reached 360 million euros in the first three months of this year, according to the data centralised by ZF. Those that created such businesses as Bere Mures, LaborMed Pharma, Bengoss, Simcor, Buzesti Business Center and Curiero decided that the business had matured and the time had come for financial or strategic investors to take over. From businesses started after the Revolution, they have developed these companies to values that are close, or sometimes exceed, 100 million euros in such fields as beer production, drug manufacturing and constructions.
However, even though advisers and representatives of investment funds have often said the demands of local entrepreneurs are “unreasonable”, they managed to strike these deals with the veterans of their fields.
All these deals were finalised at a time when the value of Romanian assets had been plummeting, while both sellers and buyers are on stand-by, with the former expecting an even bigger decline on the merger and acquisitions market this year.
According to ZF’s calculations, the entrepreneurs that gained the most money from these exits at the beginning of this year were the shareholders of Bere Mures Virgil Mailat, Grec Gheorghe and Morariu Emil, who will receive 37.5 million euros each after a deal worth at least 150 million euros, while Rus Alexandru, Bacila Nicolae and Rujiu Anghel are set to gain approximately 12.5 million euros.
Shortly after the deal was announced, Mailat, the highest-profile of all the former shareholders at Bere Mures, and the one who introduced the PET bottled beer on the market, announced he would invest some of his money from the deal in private clinics in Mures County. On the other hand, Morariu’s plans target investments in real estate.
Another major deal, the takeover of LaborMedPharma, put 8.1 to 32.1 million euros into the accounts of the sellers, Marilena Jiquidi, Ionel Lovin, Iliana Ghita, Constantin Mircioiu, Georgi Stoyanov Georgiev, according to ZF’s calculations that took into account a value of 123 million euros for the deal.
As far as the construction sector is concerned, the sale of Bengoss Comimpex put almost 20 million euros into the accounts of Corneliu Stan, while the exit from the Simcor group of companies will bring businessmen Stache Lutz and Mihai Voiculescu about 53 million euros.
Among the newest millionaires are the Chirescus (husband and wife) who sold the Buzesti Business Center building, as well as Minea Bogdan Emilian, Coman George Cosmin and Stefan Cosmin Neagu, as a result of the sale of 25% in Curiero to Asesoft.
The record holder as far as exits by Romanian entrepreneurs are concerned is by Dinu Patriciu, who sold 75% in Rompetrol in a deal put at 2.7 billion dollars.
The best-known entrepreneurs who have yet to part with their businesses are Cezar Rapotan (owner of Arabesque), Viorel and Ioan Micula (European Drinks), Ioan Ciolan (Ambient), Dan Ostahie (Altex) and Dan Sucu (Mobexpert).