Berggruen Holdings

"In 2004, the Alpha Group is sold to Safra Bank. The wealth managed by Nicolas Berggruen and Julio Santo Domingo Jr. is invested in multi-billion-dollar hedge funds and restructured. Alpha Private Equity Group, derived from both family fortunes, is given a new name: Berggruen Holdings. The aim is to "better reflect the range of the firm's investment focuses." Like a hurricane, Nicolas Berggruen sweeps through financial and economic markets. He buys, splits, and trims companies for profit. Within five years, he builds a phenomenal empire around the globe. He maintains offices in New York, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Dallas, Chicago, London, Berlin, Geneva, as well as Bogota, Bermuda, Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Mumbai. The investments made are in the order of at least ten million dollars each. For a while, everything converges at a location not initially associated with Berggruen: 9 Columbus Business Centre, Pelican Drive, Read Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. This is the office of the Maitland Group."

"On the homepage of Weber-Thedy, among others, the following clients are listed: Alfa Bank, Moscow / Berggruen Holdings, New York, Berlin / British American Tobacco, London / Capital Efficiency Group/PREPS, Zug / Chubb Insurance Company of Europe, London, Hamburg, Zurich / Delta Capital Management, Moscow / Hertie GmbH, Essen / Hypothekenbank in Essen, Essen / IMS, Bendern, Principality of Liechtenstein / KARSTADT Warenhaus GmbH, Essen / Munich Re, Munich / Austrian Post (ÖIAG), Vienna / Schieder Möbel Holding, Schieder-Schwalenberg, Germany / Foundation Collection E.G. Bührle, Zurich / Swiss Re, Zurich / The Nasdaq Stock Market, New York, N.Y."

"THE JARED BLUESTEIN FILE A special place in German economic history is already secured for him: the first professional poker player to sit on the supervisory board of a traditional German company. In the hierarchy of Berggruen Holdings, Jared Bluestein occupies a key position. He is listed as the chief operation officer on the homepage, responsible for "buyout activities, investment sourcing, portfolio oversight and firm administration". Literally, buy-out means "buy-out", which hits the nail on the head: a company is financially leveraged by another by first acquiring individual business parts, thereby gaining control over the entire company later. Bluestein's competencies also include investment acquisition, controlling, administration – in the case of Karstadt, this also includes the position of supervisory board chairman."

"Friday, May 21, 2010 It is announced through the press that Berggruen Holdings wants to take over all of Karstadt's business activities. A spokesperson of Berggruen Holdings justifies the interest in the cult brand Karstadt as it was defined by adviser Weber-Thedy: "For Nicolas Berggruen, Karstadt is part of his childhood. Berggruen has a strong connection to Berlin, which is certainly also reflected in this commitment." The cult surrounding Heinz Berggruen in Berlin persists; his myth is transferring to his son. The press does not question the information coming from the Berggruen household. Nobody notices that there is no emotional connection between Nicolas Berggruen and Karstadt. Behind his statements is the PR strategy of Weber-Thedy. In reality, Berggruen spent his childhood in Paris, his apprenticeship in London, and his college years in New York. If he is now discovering his bond with Berlin, it is solely because since 2005 he has been collecting Berlin real estate at bargain prices like Lego blocks."