The investment vehicle of two Czechoslovak moguls EPGC has become the largest shareholder in Metro AG, the German retail giant. The company exercised call options to pick up 44.9 million shares in the Metro from the company Haniel in a transaction that brought their holding in the company to 29.99 percent. In a statement released to the Czech News Agency, company officials said they would seek an appropriate position in Metro’s oversight committee. EPGC, which is owned by Daniel Křetinský and Patrik Tkáč, began their quest to seize control of Metro just over a year ago when poor results sent its share price into a tailspin. This September, the partners took a 4.63 percent stake in another grocery giant, French-based Casino Guichard Perrachon.
