Nerijus Numavičius facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nerijus Numavičius
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Numavičius in 2016
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| Born | 12 May 1967 Šilalė, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
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| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Lina Numavičienė
(m. 1996; div. 2008)Kaetana Leontjeva
(m. 2015) |
| Children | 4 |
Nerijus Numa, born Nerijus Numavičius on May 12, 1967, is a successful businessman from Lithuania. He is an investor and the main owner of a big company called Vilniaus prekyba. This company owns many businesses.
In 2017, a study showed that his company, Maxima Group, was worth about 1.62 billion Euros. Its value grew by 26% in just one year! The famous magazine Forbes also listed him as one of the world's billionaires in 2015. His wealth was valued at over 1 billion Euros.
In 2016, Lithuania started its first university fund to help students and research. Nerijus Numavičius became a donor and a board member of the Vilnius University Endowment in 2017.
Early Life and Education
Nerijus Numavičius was born on May 12, 1967, in Šilalė. He was the oldest of six children. He had three brothers and three sisters. Later, his family moved to Šilagalys, which is near Panevėžys.
He went to Panevėžio Žemynos progimnazija for school. In 2001, he earned a bachelor's degree from Vilnius University. He studied public health in the Faculty of Medicine.
Building a Business Empire
Nerijus Numa started his business journey by selling real estate in Lithuania. He then used the money he earned to invest in different company stocks.
In 1992, he teamed up with his friends and two brothers. They started a small retail company in Vilnius called Urdzia. Just two years later, in 1994, Vilniaus prekyba was created. This new company brought together seven different retail stores. There were nine partners in total.
The retail chain grew very quickly. This growth was paid for by selling stocks from other companies. These stocks were bought during a time when many state-owned businesses were becoming private after the Soviet era.
One important deal involved selling stocks from four sugar factories. These were sold to a Danish sugar company called Danisco for 30 million US dollars. This money helped a lot with the growth of the retail business. In 1998, the first large new store, covering 3000 square meters, was opened. This is when the Maxima Group brand was officially born.
Other companies that the group invested in included Vilniaus paukštynas (a poultry farm), Birštono mineraliniai vandenys (mineral water), Vilniaus mėsos kombinatas (a meat packing company), and Vilniaus duona (a bakery).
Awards and Recognition
Nerijus Numa has received several important awards for his work.
- In 2003, he was given the Cross of Commander of the Order for Merits to Lithuania.
- In 2004, he received The Order of the White Star of Estonia.
