Ratos
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| Ratos AB (publ) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Public (OMX: RATO B) |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Key people | Arne Karlsson (CEO) |
| Industry | Private Equity |
| Website | www.ratos.se |
Ratos, acronym for Ragnar and Torsten Söderberg is a Swedish private equity company listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Among the companies owned by Ratos are Arucs, Jøtul and Haglöfs.
[edit] History
The Söderberg brothers established Ratos in the 1933 as a holding company for the families growing enterprises. At the time the family was owners of Söderberg & Haak. Ratos developed with extensive ownership in companies such as Stora Kopparberg, Gränges and Esselte in addition to a wholly owned steel division. It was listed on the stock exchange in 1954.
In 1979 the steel division, that at the time was called Tibnor, was sold to the state owned SSAB as part of the reorganisation of the crisis hit steel industry. After that the company expanded into new areas, including a larger number of transport companies, the hotel chain Scandic Hotels and the plumbing chain Dahl International. During this period Sven Söderberg (1928-2004) was CEO.
The financial crisis hit Ratos with reduced profits in 1992 and Urban Jansson was appointed new CEO and the daughter companies were either floated on the stock exchange or sold. After Arne Karlsson took over as CEO, Ratos was transformed to a private equity company.
