Searching for a country that can look after your investments? According to Javad Marandi, an international entrepreneur and British businessman with investments across the UK and continental Europe, Switzerland is an effective place to explore.
While Marandi has interests across the continent, some of his biggest investments can be found in London and Switzerland. These investments commonly take the form of hotels, commercial and residential real estate, retail companies, and blue-chip businesses within the manufacturing industry.
Alongside his international business ventures, Javad Marandi is also a keen philanthropist and trained UK chartered accountant with an educational background in electrical and electronic engineering.
Speaking to LUX Magazine, Marandi explained which sectors he’s invested in within Switzerland, why he’s attracted to the country as an investment opportunity, and to what degree the Swiss economy has affected the growth of his investments.
When asked which sectors within Switzerland Marandi had invested in, he said, “I am a major investor in one of the country’s best-regarded manufacturing companies. I also co-own commercial warehouses.”
Marandi added that Switzerland holds investment appeal for a number of reasons, including its workforce and training.
“The country is renowned for its highly qualified workforce, excellent education, apprenticeship and training schemes and high-quality infrastructure.
“Its location at the heart of Europe means it will always be a commercial crossroads, and the highly developed nature of its economy mitigates risk. All of this makes it an attractive environment for the investor,” said Marandi.
In terms of his investment’s growth compared to the growth of the Swiss economy, Marandia advised that “Annual GDP growth in the country since 2010 has been between 1 and 3 per cent, in line with my expectations.”
He added that “growth has slowed a little in the last year, but Switzerland is a mature, low-risk market and there are plenty of opportunities to grow our investments there regardless of the macroeconomic situation. Having said that, the overall economic climate is very positive.”
With the slowdown of other European countries, Marandi advised that his Swiss businesses hadn’t been significantly affected – “the sectors we invest in are not highly exposed to economic developments in the rest of the EU.
“The construction manufacturing business is focused on the Swiss market. The commercial real estate is located in the north of the country on the transport infrastructure hub and yields are exactly as projected by the executives of the businesses.”
The international entrepreneur went on to explain the “satisfying” performance of his construction manufacturing business over the past five years.
“It has seen compound annual growth of over 5% in both our turnover and EBITDA. This is extremely satisfying performance given the backdrop of the appreciating Swiss currency and the Country’s GDP growth. There are plenty of opportunities to preserve and grow investments in the country,” said Marandi.
Following the relatively recent appreciation of the Swiss Franc (the franc has risen around 3.5% against the Euro since early August 2024), Marandi explained that his investments hadn’t been negatively impacted.
Marandi said, “the tourism sector has been affected, as have manufacturers that rely on exports. My investments have not been adversely affected. I think the independence of the Swiss Franc is a positive for the investment climate.”
When asked about his future plans for investing in Switzerland, Marandi advised that they take a return-focused approach, rather than focusing on a specific country.
“We are continually assessing potential investments in Switzerland and all over Europe, to complement our existing portfolio. However we base our decisions an analysis of potential return, rather than focussing on any specific country,” advised the British businessman.
