FAST

FAST Group has vast experience in selling, developing and testing products supplied to sales channels and retail chains in the Czech Republic and abroad, including its own PLANEO network and distribution channels in Hungary, Poland, and many other countries. PPF Group holds a 50% stake in FAST Group. The remaining shares are held by EC Investments.

FAST Group’s long-term priority is to strategically expand its product range in established segments and strengthen the position of its key brands, with a particular focus on SENCOR, Philco, Fieldmann, Lamart, Yenkee, Catler, Buxton, Bayby, Retlux and Stell. It currently owns 15 DIY and consumer electronics brands. With SENCOR, its most profitable and established brand, FAST concentrates on innovating, developing and improving its product portfolio and supporting end customers. In addition to overseeing its own brands, FAST handles the distribution for over a hundred other brands, which includes exclusive representation of the world-famous Sage and SodaStream brands.

In these challenging times of global economic downturn brought about by the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis, FAST is keenly focused on maximising sales and profit backed by a robust business model and its traditionally strong market position. FAST is in the process of building an extensive retail network, improving its quality, and planning for further sustainable expansion. It is actively seeking viable locations in the Czech Republic and abroad and continuously monitoring, analysing and improving the profitability metrics of its individual shops.

In its international business operations, FAST concentrates in particular on distributing its own brands in other EU countries, especially in the Balkans and the Baltic. These are centres that will create new business opportunities, support new and existing business partners, and pave the way for further product and service development in both B2B and B2C.

In recent years, FAST Group has capitalised on the trend of accelerated e-commerce growth driven by pandemic constraints and focused on vigorously pursuing the development of its own B2C online sales platforms. In 2022 and 2023, it successfully propelled PLANEO’s e-commerce business forwards by assembling a team and building a new platform geared towards e-commerce, enabling it to grow even in an otherwise shrinking market. This move handed FAST a dominant market share in high-growth categories such as e-mobility, professional weather stations, and mobile air-conditioning, where its own SENCOR-branded products have proved their worth. FAST continues to invest in the digitalisation and automation of its operations to improve customer support, enhance the customer experience, and increase the company’s technological edge.