Public attention was drawn this summer by the news that a company in Zadar is seeking amendments to the Detailed Urban Plan (DUP) from business to residential-commercial purposes. The amendment would allow for the construction of a six-story residential building with twenty apartments. Media attention was not so much motivated by the announcement of the construction of an ordinary residential building as by the name of the investor who requested the change. The owner of the land is the company Lerent, and the investor is the company Dilabor, both owned by Ivan Leko, the founder and majority shareholder of CIAK Group, a company best known to the public as a strong player in the auto parts distribution market.
Business in Six Countries
The Croatian king of auto parts, as some call him, is leaving his business and entering construction? No, he is probably just taking advantage of a convenient opportunity given the record real estate prices, believe those who know him. – This is a man who knows and understands business excellently, especially the one he is engaged in – said a businessman connected to CIAK Group who wished to remain anonymous.
The accuracy of this statement is demonstrated by a snapshot of Leko’s business empire – in three decades he has created a holding company that controls 30 companies in six countries (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, Serbia, and North Macedonia), employs more than 2,300 workers, and operates in five segments: distribution of auto parts, distribution of batteries and oils, parts for commercial vehicles, waste management, and wholesale.
The company today achieves 282 million euros in consolidated business revenues, which was the result for 2023. Compared to the previous year, revenues increased by 24 percent.
