Pargesa Holding
The Pargesa Holding SA, based in Geneva, is a company established in 1981 by Albert Frère Swiss investment company. It serves as the parent company of Pargesa group which operates through its investments in various sectors of industry and services. The company listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange company focuses on a small number of heavyweight investments.
Based on a decision in 1990 Agreement Power Financial Corporation and Frère-Bourgeois/Compagnie control Nationale à portfolio Pargesa Holding SA share on the Dutch holding company Parjointco NV with a share of 50.1 percent of the capital and 62.9 percent of the vote. Further 14.6 percent of the capital and 19.8 percent of the votes are held by BNP Paribas SA.
Investments
Pargesa holds an equity interest of 49.2 percent and a vote share of 50.9 percent since 1982, the direct control of the Belgian Groupe Bruxelles Lambert ( GBL). In addition, it holds directly and indirectly via the GBL with 54.1 percent of the capital and 69.9 percent of the voting majority stake in Imerys, the world's leading company in the processing of minerals. Furthermore, keeps Pargesa on the GBL important holdings in the French Suez group ( 9.4 percent), the French oil company Total ( 3.4 percent ), the world's leading building materials manufacturer Lafarge ( 19.7 percent), and the French wine and spirits maker Pernod Ricard (6.3 percent).
The indirectly via the GBL held 25.1 percent of the German media group Bertelsmann was sold in July 2006.
Pargesa group
The Pargesa group includes the two segments Holdings and Imerys.
The segment includes Pargesa and GBL Holdings and its wholly-owned subsidiaries of both companies. Main business purpose of the combined Holdings in the corporate segment is the management of investments.
The business segment includes the Imerys Imerys Group, with its three lines of business performance minerals and pigments, building materials and products as well as monolithic refractories, abrasives and filters minerals.
On a consolidated basis, operating income amounted Pargesa group that includes the sales of Imerys in 2007 to 5.695 billion Swiss francs.