Gheorghe Calburean, the majority shareholder of Dafora Medias, through which he also controls Condmag Brasov, is considering a merger between the two companies that could create an integrated group with international operations.
Such a merger would put Calburean in control of an over 400 million-euro company.
Since the beginning of the year, Gheorghe Calburean has gained around 150 million euros from the stock market increase of the two companies he controls - Dafora Medias and Condmag Brasov - with his fortune reaching almost 200 million euros.
Calburean, one of the most discreet businessmen on the capital market was present yesterday at the Bucharest Stock Exchange when the Condmag shares began trading on the second tier.
"The merger is an alternative we are not considering at the moment, as it cannot be conducted this year because of the transfer of Dafora onto the Bucharest Stock Exchange. In a year or two, depending on the talks involving the other shareholders, we will consider the possibility of merging the two companies into one," Gheorghe Calburean told ZF.
Dafora Medias, the flagship of Calburean's companies, started its rise on RASDAQ a year ago, after the businessman, who at the time owned almost 75% in it, started to sell shares on the market to attract investors to the company.
"I realised that only by selling part of the shares could I attract new investors and therefore new money into the company, and that by boosting liquidity, investors will be more interested and the company will be correctly evaluated. I sought major institutional investors in order to get other investors to buy," Calburean explained.
This strategy allowed some major investment funds to become Dafora shareholders and to improve the liquidity and visibility of the company, which has now reached a 300 million-euro capitalisation, compared with only 5 million euros registered in early 2006. Calburean currently owns 55% in Dafora.
One of the first investors to have bought into Dafora was the US-based investment fund Julius Baer International Equity Fund, one of the biggest institutional investors on the Bucharest Stock Exchange. The Dafora shareholders include DWS Investment, the asset management division of Deutsche Bank and Barclays Global Investments, one of the biggest investment management companies in the world.
Calburean also intends to transfer Dafora to the BSE and has already started the necessary steps involved in this process.
"Once we are finished with the capital increase, we will submit the papers to the BSE to have Dafora transferred to this market," Calburean said.
He added that he hoped Dafora would be on the Bucharest Stock Exchange in two or three months. He also intends to file for the transfer of Condmag to the first tier of the BSE in six months from now.
Calburean became a Condmag Brasov shareholder last autumn, when he bought 25% of the shares through Dafora.
He has recently bought another 17% in Condmag, boosting his stake to 42%. According to the capital market legislation, Dafora will have to run a mandatory tender offer to buy the remaining shares. At the moment, Condmag's market capitalisation stands at 127 million euros.
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