Centrum Holdings Makes Investment in Net.hr

Croatia’s financial group Proficio has sold a majority share in Net.hr to Czech Republic based Centrum Holdings for an undisclosed price. Centrum Holdings acquired 75% of the shares in Net.hr, while Proficio has retained 25% and will continue to help develop the online portal.

Adriatic Media d.o.o. (www.net.hr)
Net.hr is the largest portal in Croatia, with 750,000 unique visitors a month. The company supplies its visitors with an all inclusive site that specializes in all aspects of Croatian life from singles ads to movie listings to store openings. Centrum’s employees have moved into a new Prague headquarters and sixty employees have been laid off during the merger. Net.hr predicts that its growth it has accumulated over the past months will continue without interruption.

NetCentrum s.r.o. (www.centrum.cz)
Centrum Holdings is a conglomeration of two companies Centrum.cz and Atlas.cz. It was created in late 2007 when U.S. investment house Warburg Pincus bought majority stakes in both companies and merged them into one. With the investment into Net.hr, the Czech based company is poised to become the largest internet company in Eastern Europe.

Warburg Pincus (www.warburgpincus.com)
Warburg Pincus is a U.S. based investment firm that operates in North America, Europe and Asia. Its focus in Central Eastern European companies in the past years has proven very profitable. Its main focus has been the technology sector, investing in dozens of Czech, Slovik, and Croatian companies. Its position in the Central Eastern Europe market has made it a strong player and a powerful company.