Tamares Group

Tamares Group

Type	Private
Founder	Shlomo Zabludowicz
Headquarters	41 Dover Street Mayfair, London W1S 4NS United Kingdom
Number of locations	11
Area served	International
Key people	Poju Zabludowicz (Chairman and CEO)
Products	Investment management, equity investment, real estate investment, venture capital, growth capital, fund of funds, real estate development
Owner	Poju Zabludowicz
Subsidiaries	Tamares Real Estate Tamares Private Equity Tamares Media Tamares Leisure Tamares Telecom
Website	www.tamares.com

Tamares Group is a global private investment group based in London. Tamares has international interests in real estate, finance, technology, communications, manufacturing, leisure and media.^[1][2][3] The group invests in a number of different private^[4] and public^[5] companies, and in real estate properties.^[6]

Tamares was founded after the second World War by Finnish entrepreneur, Shlomo Zabludowicz.^[2] Since 1990, it has been headed by his son, Poju Zabludowicz.^[7]

Offices

Tamares seeks investment opportunities in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. It has 11 global offices:^[8][2][3]

• Gibraltar, Gibraltar
• Helsinki, Finland
• Herzliya, Israel
• Las Vegas, Nevada
• London, England
• New York City, New York
• Palo Alto, California
• Stockholm, Sweden
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Vaduz, Liechtenstein
• Zurich, Switzerland

Portfolio

Currently, Tamares holds equity stakes in the following private and public companies:

• Private companies:
  • Addepar - a wealth management platform that provides investment professionals with the tools required to manage complex global portfolios^[9]
  • Answerbook - develops a software that automates and personalizes e-mail marketing for e-commerce^[10]
  • EcoStream - develops lubricants by recycling and re-refining used engine oils^[11]
  • Foris Telecom - global wireless broadband mobile WiMAX carrier and Internet service provider^[12]
  • Mustavaaran Kaivos - engages in the exploration of Mustavaara vanadium-iron-titanium deposits^[13]
  • NodePrime - a next-generation infrastructure management and analytics platform^[9]
  • OneSignal - push notification service for mobile apps^[14]
  • Palantir Technologies - develops and builds data fusion platforms for integrating, managing, and securing any kind of data at massive scale^[10]
  • Pontifax - venture capital fund with $120 million of assets under management, focusing on the Israeli life sciences sector^[15]
  • RoboteX - designs and manufactures personalized robots for monotonous, dangerous or challenging environments^[14]
  • Se-cure Pharmaceuticals - clinical stage, biotech company focused on developing safe and effective therapeutic solutions, targeting high prevalence medical conditions^[16]
  • Siklu - builds gigabit wireless backhaul solutions operating in the E band and V band 60, 70 & 80 GHz millimeter wave bands^[17]
  • Tamares Telecom - Israeli service provider that supplies and operates communication services^[18]
  • Tower Vision - tower management company specializing in the provision of passive infrastructure to the wireless telecommunications industry^[19]
  • Wolt - a Finnish-based smartphone app that allows costumers to pre-order food from over 200 restaurants across Finland^[20]
• Public companies:
  • Dori Media Group - international entertainment group active in the production, distribution and broadcasting of telenovelas^[21]
  • Knafaim (TASE: KNFM) - Israeli-based holding company focused on the aviation industry, controlling shareholder of El Al^[22]
  • Mellanox (NASDAQ: MLNX) - provider of InfiniBand chipset, company went public on NASDAQ in 2007^[23]
  • Outotec (OMX: OTE1V) - develops and provides technology solutions for the sustainable use of Earth's natural resources^[24]
  • Protalix (NYSE MKT: PLX) - biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins^[25]

Past holdings:

• Axis Mobile - complete mobile email solution, acquired by Synchronica in August 2008 for $4.9 million^[26][27]
• British Israel Investments - property management company in the field of shopping mall and commercial centers, acquired by the Melisron Group in 2011 for an implied valuation of $700 million^[28]
• Dione - smart card-based payment systems, acquired by Lipman Electronic Engineering in October 2004 for $104 million^[29][30]
• eXalink - WAP gateway, acquired by Comverse Technology in 2000 for $550 million^[31]
• N-trig - provider of digital pens and chips for touch screens, acquired by Microsoft in February 2015 for $200 million^[32]
• Panaya - automation-technology startup, acquired by Infosys in February 2015 for $200 million^[33]
• Restamax (OMX: RESTA) - Finnish-based company with a chain of some 100 restaurants, cafés, nightclubs and pubs in Finland, Tamares sold its stake in September 2015 for €6.9 million^[34]
• Storwize - online storage optimization through real-time data compression, acquired by IBM in July 2010 for $140 million^[35][36]

Business history

• In 1995, Tamares acquired 1500 Broadway in New York.^[37]
• In 1995, Tamares opened the Plaza America, a 165,000 square feet retail center in Washington DC, on 27 acres (11 ha) acquired in 1988.^[38]
• In March 2004, Tamares acquired 40 acres (16 ha) in downtown Las Vegas in a joint acquisition with Barrick Gaming Corporation from Jackie Gaughan for $82 million.^[39] Tamares was the major investor with Barrick being mainly involved with operating the casinos.^[40] The purchase included:
  • The Plaza
  • Las Vegas Club
  • The Western
  • Gold Spike
  • Ambassador East Motel
• In June 2005, Tamares acquired total control of the hotels and casinos from Barrick, including the Nevada Club Hotel & Casino and Queen of Hearts Hotel & Casino, as well as 40 other commercial and residential sites in downtown Las Vegas. However, Barrick was retained as the lessee of the casinos since Tamares does not hold a Nevada Gaming License.^[41]
• In December 2005, Tamares entered into a lease agreement with Navegante to operate the Las Vegas casinos through a subsidiary called PlayLV. The Queen of Hearts was later acquired by LiveWork Las Vegas.^[42]
• In July 2007, the Gold Spike was sold for $15.6 million to Gregg Covin.^[43][44]
• In March 2011, Tamares put a bid to purchase the whole of Warner Music Group.^[45]
• In January 2012, The Western was closed for an indefinite period of time.^[46]
• In March 2013, The Western was sold for $14 million to a company affiliated with Tony Hsieh's Downtown Project, a campaign to revitalize the Fremont Street area.^[47]
• In April 2013, Tamares announced that the Las Vegas Club will be closing its hotel. The casino will remain open. A possibility of a renovation for the hotel was hinted.^[48]
• In June 2013, it was announced that the ViaEuropa consortium has won the tender for the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) fiber optic communications infrastructure joint venture. Tamares Telecom is one of the four companies in the consortium, headed by ViaEuropa. ViaEuropa will own half of the consortium, while each of the four Israeli companies will own 12.5%. The consortium will own 60% of the fiber optic venture, and IEC will own 40%.^[49] The venture is expected to cost about $1.4 billion.^[50]
• In September 2013, it was reported that Tamares will participate in a financing round, estimated at $15–20 million, for N-trig.^[51]
• In January 2015, it was announced that Tamares is bidding to manage Eilat's Princess Hotel.^[52]
• In June 2015, Tamares has invested in Wolt, a Finnish-based smartphone app that allows customers to pre-order food from over 200 restaurants across Finland.^[20]
• In July 2015, it was announced that Tamares will acquire TEGNA, Inc.'s McLean corporate headquarters for $270 million.^[53] Gannett Co., Inc., parent of USA Today has signed a 12-year lease with Tamares to remain in the building. Previous owner, TEGNA, has agreed to an 18-month lease for 20% of the office space in building.^[54]
• In August 2015, the Las Vegas Club was sold to Derek and Greg Stevens, owners of The D casino, for $40 million.^[55]
• In August 2015, it was reported that Tamares has participated in a $18 million Series-D funding round for Siklu.^[56]
• In September 2015, Tamares sold its stake in Restamax for €6.9 million.^[34]

References

1. "Home - Tamares". Tamares. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
2. "Tamares Group", Tamares Telecom. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
3. "Management", Tamares Hotels Resorts & Spas. Retrieved on 15 April 2016.
4. "Selected Investments (Private)", Tamares. Retrieved on 26 June 2013.
5. "Selected Investments (Listed)", Tamares. Retrieved on 26 June 2013.
6. "Selected Properties", Tamares. Retrieved on 26 June 2013.
7. "Poju Zabludowicz", The Jewish Leadership Council. Retrieved on 26 June 2013.
8. "About - Tamares". Tamares. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
9. "Technology - Tamares". Tamares. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
10. Perez, Sarah (25 Februaqry 2015). "YC-Backed Answerbook Helps Retailers Automate Personalized Email Campaigns". TechCrunch. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
11. "Ecostream", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
12. "Foris Telecom", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
13. "Mustavaaran Kaivos", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
14. "Tamares Innovation". Tamares Innovation. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
15. "Pontifax I+II", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
16. "Secure Pharma", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
17. "Investors", Siklu. Retrieved on 2 September 2013.
18. "Tamares Telecom", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
19. "Tower Vision", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
20. Iivonen, Jyrki (23 June 2015). "Suomen rikkaimpiin kuuluva Poju Zabludowicz sijoitti pieneen Wolt-yhtiöön – tilauksia välittävä yhtiö yhteistyöhön Kotipizzan kanssa" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
21. "Dori Media", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
22. "Knafaim", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
23. "Mellanox", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
24. "Outotec", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
25. "Protalix", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
26. "Axis Mobile", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
27. "Synchronica Acquires AxisMobile, Broadens Mobile Email Reach". CRN. 18 August 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
28. "British Israel Investments Ltd", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
29. "Dione", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
30. "Lipman Acquires Dione Plc; Combination To Strengthen Leadership Position in the Worldwide Transaction Solutions Market". BusinessWire. 4 October 2004. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
31. "eXalink", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
32. "Microsoft buys Israeli digital pen maker N-trig: report". Reuters. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
33. Orpaz, Inbal (16 February 2015). "India’s Infosys to buy Israeli startup Panaya for $200 million". Haaretz. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
34. Moisio, Aleksi (28 September 2015). "Iso kauppa Restamaxilla – Poju myi Suomi-ravintolansa" (in Finnish). Taloussanomat. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
35. "Storwize", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
36. Hardawar, Devindra (29 July 2010). "IBM acquires real-time data compression company Storwize". VentureBeat. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
37. "Times Square", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
38. "Plaza America", Tamares. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
39. "Gaughan changeover leaves workers a little melancholy". Las Vegas Sun (Las Vegas). 25 March 2004. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
40. Benston, Liz (27 June 2005). "Barrick hampered by debt, sources say". Las Vegas Sun (Las Vegas). Retrieved 29 June 2013.
41. Benston, Liz (28 June 2005). "Downtown Las Vegas: Barrick Sells Casino Stakes". Las Vegas Sun (Las Vegas). Retrieved 23 June 2013.
42. Toplikar, Dave (29 January 2010). "Queen of Hearts hotel-casino to be demolished Tuesday". Las Vegas Sun (Las Vegas). Retrieved 23 June 2013.
43. "Dreary hotel to get revamp". Las Vegas Review-Journal (Las Vegas). 12 July 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
44. "DOWNTOWN PROPERTY: $15 MILLION". Las Vegas Review-Journal (Las Vegas). 4 May 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
45. Purkiss, Alan (22 March 2011). "Tamares Puts in a Bid for the Whole of Warner Music, FT Reports". Bloomberg. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
46. Goldberg, Delen (15 November 2011). "Downtown Western Casino closing after 41 years". Vegas Inc (Las Vegas). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
47. Segall, Eli (21 March 2013)."Tony Hsieh’s group buys shuttered downtown casino for $14 million". Vegas Inc (Las Vegas). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
48. Mehaffey, John (9 April 2013). "Two Downtown Las Vegas Hotels Closing". 4Flush. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
49. Perez, Gad (16 June 2013). "ViaEuropa wins fiber optic venture tender". Globes. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
50. Schuster, Ruth (15 July 2013). "Tech roundup / Even the board at Alvarion has given up". Haaretz. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
51. Hoffman, Tzahi (30 September 2013). "Intel, Qualcomm reportedly invest in N-trig". Globes. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
52. Peretz-Zilberman, Sapir (27 January 2015). "Tamares bids to manage Eilat's Princess hotel". Globes. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
53. "TEGNA to sell McLean, VA headquarters to Tamares". BusinessWire. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
54. "Tamares Completes Acquisition of 7950 Jones Branch Drive in McLean, VA". PR Newswire. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
55. Morrison, Kim (16 August 2015). "Las Vegas Club sold to Stevens Bros". World Casino Directory. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
56. "Siklu Secures Additional $18M to Bolster Expansion of mmWave Technology in Rapid-Growth Markets". MarketWatch. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.

External links

• Tamares - official website
• Tamares Group on Businessweek
• Tamares Private Equity on Businessweek