Fitness online store GymBeam (Dalibor Cicman) raised €30m from investors to expand into Western and Central European markets, strengthen its distribution infrastructure, and make strategic investments. Last year, it reported a net profit of €5m on €166m sales, and this year it expects €220m. In the latest investment round, PortfoLion acquired an 8% stake and EBRD 4%, valuing the company at €250m. Cicman holds a 72% stake. Rothschild & Co, AKF Legal, BCG, PwC, and Dentons rep

Soukeník – Štrpka was the largest law firm in Slovakia, according to a regular survey by the Sme daily. A&O Shearman, Havel & Partners, Relevans, TaylorWessing, Dentons, Ružička & Partners, Kinstellar, Škubla & Partneri, and CMS followed. A&O Shearman had the highest revenues and profits last year, while Soukeník – Štrpka led in terms of the number of lawyers. ( sme.sk )

Volkswagen confirmed that the Bratislava plant would produce the luxury SUV model Audi Q9, but had not yet announced a date. The plant had been producing the Q7 model since 2005 and the Q8 since 2018. It also assembles the VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne SUVs. ( hnonline.sk )

The number of detected tax fraud cases in Slovakia fell from 50 in 2021 to 11 last year, and detected cases of tax and payroll levy evasion fell from 475 to 149, police statistics show. However, the situation is not improving, with European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi recently warning that Slovakia is becoming a hub for tax fraudsters in the EU. In addition to the current coalition’s unwillingness to fight tax fraud, the improvement in statistics is also due to changes in

French energy group Veolia , one of the largest players in the Slovak heating sector, acquired a majority stake in Termokomplex, which operates heat supply in Krompachy and had €2.6m sales last year. The company’s name was changed to Veolia Energia Krompachy. The town retained a minority stake. State-owned MH Teplárenský holding took over heat supply in the towns of Ilava and Humenné this year. ( energie-portal.sk )

Poultry firm Domäsko (Konkoľ family) plans to renovate the Zvolenská hydina plant in Lieskovec near Zvolen, which has been used only as a warehouse since 2009. After modernization, Domäsko plans to employ 240 people there. Its capacity will be 105,000 tons of poultry per year, while last year Domäsko processed only 30,000 tons in its existing plants in Kežmarok. It is unclear whether the current plants will continue to operate. Last year, Domäsko reported a 44% drop in net p

St. Nicolaus (Ján Sabol) and Heliades (Oszkár Világi) acquired a majority stake in Corner SK , a distributor of wine, coffee, and spirits. The current owner, Wine Consulting (Marián Kubis), retained a 20% stake. The new owners, with extensive experience in the beverage market, are expected to invest in developing the product portfolio. ( hnonline.sk ) Last year, Corner SK increased its net profit sevenfold to €0.1m, and its sales grew by 4% to €17.6m.

The Environment Ministry is to take over cleaning up old waste dumps on land owned by Istrochem Bratislava (Andrej Babiš), and the government will discuss the proposal tomorrow. This would be the largest state aid approved by the current government. It would absorb all EU funds earmarked for cleaning up old environmental burdens, as well as state budget funds. The costs could climb to €350–700m, and approval of the project would run counter to fiscal consolidation goals. Bab

Repairing bridges on 1st-class roads using the PPP model will be dramatically less advantageous than traditional repairs funded from the state budget. A Finance Ministry study found that the state could repair 110–120 bridges per year for €80-90m, and after 10 years, the pace of investment could be reduced to less than half, as the bridges would already be in good condition. A Wood&Co study said that if the PPP model is used, from 2028 a private partner would begin repairing

Fitch affirmed Slovakia’s A- rating with a stable outlook. The country thus retained its 7th-highest rating. Interestingly, Fitch expects a much slower reduction in public finance deficits than planned by the government; it forecasts a deficit of 4.5% of GDP next year, compared with 4.1% in the state budget. US tariffs and slower economic growth in Germany remain challenges. In October, S&P also confirmed Slovakia’s rating. ( aktuality.sk )