Allianz AG
Allianz AG (ALLIANZ). Provision of reinsurance, life and health insurance, property
and casualty insurance, travel insurance and credit insurance; also asset management
and other financial services. Premium income accounted for 66% of 2000 revenues;
investment income, 17%; gain/loss on disposal of securities, 10% and other operating
income, 7%. Over the past century, Allianz has become one of the world's leading
insurance companies.[57] Allianz AG is one of Bayer's major shareholders (see
above).
Metro AG
The company owns and operates about 1,900 wholesale stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets,
department stores, and speciality retailers (home improvement, consumer electronics),
mainly in Germany and the rest of Europe. Store banners include METRO, Makro,
and Galeria Kaufhof. METRO AG runs restaurants in its department stores and
hypermarkets, and it offers advertising and insurance to its retail chains.[58]
RWE Aktiengesellschaft
The conglomerate's main utility unit, RWE Energie, provides electricity, gas,
and water to German residential and business customers and is Germany's #1 electricity
supplier. RWE also holds integrated oil company RWE-DEA and companies engaged
in mining, mechanical and plant engineering, and construction and civil engineering;
overall, it has stakes in more than 500 companies. The conglomerate has expanded
its role as a multi-utility with the acquisitions of German utility holding
company VEW and UK-based water utility Thames Water. RWE has stakes in nuclear
power plants.
Its wholly-owned subsidiary Nukem Nuklear Gmbh, a German nuclear company, was involved in spreading false information about the safety of radioactive material transport in the UK. Read about this at: http://www.cnduk.org/briefing/nukem.htm (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmamant).
RWE AG of Germany has recently won the bidding contest for the privatisation of the Czech Republic's gas industry. RWE has bought the entire Czech gas industry.[59]
57 http://www.hoovers.com/co/capsule/2/0,2163,40572,00.html
(source: hoover's online, date viewed: 21.01.02)
58 http://www.hoovers.com/co/capsule/0/0,2163,52620,00.html (source: hoover's
online, date viewed: 21.01.02)
59 http://www.acquisitions-monthly.com/ (source: Acquisitions Monthly, date
viewed: 04.01.02)