1960 - 1970
History
1962
- João Macedo Silva founds RAR - Refinarias de Açúcar Reunidas, S.A.R.L., with an initial capital of 10 million escudos
- A 20,000m² plot of land was purchased on Rua Manuel Pinto de Azevedo in Porto for the construction of the future industrial sugar refinery
1967
- The new sugar refinery begins operation with an initial production capacity of 50,000 tonnes per year
- Acquisition of licences, rights, land and machinery from two pre-existent refineries, increasing sugar production capacity to 75,000 tonnes/year
1970
- Creation of Acembex - Açúcar, Embalagem e Exportação Lda., a joint venture between Tate & Lyle and RAR Açúcar, now Acembex - Comércio e Serviços, Lda.
1971
- Acquisition of a stake in "Fábrica de Chocolates Imperial, S.A.R.L.", based in Vila do Conde, now known as "Imperial Produtos Alimentares, S.A."
1973
- Acquisition of "Sociedade de Refinaria Angola, Lda.", based in Matosinhos. The process of concentrating sugar refining in the North of Portugal began in 1962, culminating in the acquisition of the final nine sugar-refining units
1977
- RAR participates in the creation of “IBEROCAP - Indústria de Acessórios para Embalagens, Lda.” producing capsules and packaging accessories and enters the plastic moulds business with Iberonorma
1978
- Commencement of the creation of "SPI – Sociedade Portuguesa de Investimentos, S.A.", of which RAR is one of the main promoters. This initiative is set to lead to the formation of the first private bank in Portugal since the nationalisation of the banking sector in 1975
1980
- Aquisition of Veldec, Lda. (Velvet)
1981
- Creation of RAR - Sociedade de Controle (Holding) S.A., the company that currently controls, directly or indirectly, all of the Group’s shareholdings
- RAR takes control of MONTARROIO - Sociedade Comercial de Cafés, Lda., the company responsible for launching the Segafredo coffee brand in Portugal and later the creation of the Buondi coffee brand
1984
- Foundation of 'BPI - Banco Português de Investimento, S.A.', the first private bank in Portugal following the reopening of the banking sector to private initiative. RAR is elected as chairman of its General Council
- Disinvestment in the moulds and plastics area
- Foundation of 'CPCi - Companhia Portuguesa de Computadores e Sistemas de Informação'
1985
- Creation of BCI – Banco de Comércio e Indústria, S.A. and João Macedo Silva, Chairman of RAR, is appointed Chairman of the General Council
1987
- Creation of "RAR Imobiliária, S.A."
- Foundation of "Portugel – Comércio e Indústria de Gelados, Lda.", a company established to market the premium Italian ice cream brand “Gelati Motta”
- Foundation of "RAR D - Comércio e Distribuição de Produtos Alimentares, S.A."
1988
- Participation in the establishment of the insurance companies Global and Global Vida
- Creation of "RAR - Sociedade de Capital de Risco, S.A." and "RAR - Sociedade de Investimentos e Engenharia Financeira, S.A."
1990
- Acquisition of a qualified shareholding in Adriano Ramos Pinto (Vinhos), S.A.
1992
- Acquisition of a stake in Finantipar, the holding company controlling Banco Finantia
- RAR participates in the core group of investors seeking to acquire the control of BPA - Banco Português do Atlântico
1993
- Reinforcement of positions in the financial sector, including in BPA and Finantipar (Banco Finantia)
- Sale of Montarroio (the Buondi coffee brand) to Nestlé
1994
- Creation of RAR Ambiente, S.A.
- Creation of Indáqua - Indústria e Gestão de Águas, S.A. (joint venture for the water sector between RAR Ambiente and national and international partners)
1995
- In partnership with national and international entities, RAR Ambiente entered the environmental services sector through the establishment of "Recolte – Recolha, Tratamento e Eliminação de Resíduos Sólidos, S.A.", and "Climaespaço – Sociedade de Produção e Distribuição de Energia Térmica, S.A."
- Divestment of the BPA shareholding following the tender offer launched by BCP – Banco Comercial Português
1999
- Acquisition of 2% of the share capital of CIMPOR
2000
- Passing of João Macedo Silva, the founder of RAR
- João Nuno Macedo Silva appointed as Chairman of the Group
- RAR invests in the tourism sector by acquiring GEOTUR - Viagens e Turismo, S.A.
- RAR invests in the Packaging sector, initiating the acquisition process of Colep Portugal - Embalagens e Enchimentos, S.A.
2001
- Launch of a tender offer for Colep, through which RAR acquired full ownership (100%) of the company
- Establishment of "Centrar", a shared services company
- Completion by RAR Imobiliária of the “Jardim das Laranjeiras” development in Lisbon and the “Parque de Palmela” development in Estoril
2004
- Incorporation of ColepCCL through the merger of Colep and CCL Custom Manufacturing Europe, creating Europe’s largest contract manufacturing company
- RAR Imobiliária has completed the "Passeio Atlântico" buildings in Matosinhos
2007
- Acquisition of a majority shareholding in Wight Salads Group (WSG)
- Acquisition of the 40% stake previously held by CCL Industries in ColepCCL, resulting in the RAR Group gaining full ownership (100%) of the company
- Acquisition by Geotur of the tour operators "Grantur" and "Sporski"
- RAR Imobiliária completed the “Monchique” project, located in the Historic Centre of Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Designed by architect Vítor Carvalho Araújo, the project was recognised as the “Best Real Estate Project of the Year” at the Lisbon Real Estate Fair, owing to its exceptional contribution to Urban Rehabilitation
2008
- Acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Vitacress Salads Limited
- The RAR and Sonae Groups agreed to merge their travel operations, Geotur and Star, to form a new company – RASO, S.G.P.S., S.A. – jointly owned in equal parts (50%) by both Groups
- Sale of RARTransportes to the Transportes Sardão Group
2009
- ColepCCL acquired the German company "Czewo Full Filling Service GmbH", further strengthening its leading position in the European contract manufacturing sector
- Geotur and Star, two travel agencies, merged and launched the new brand - GeoStar
2010
- The RAR Group enters the Brazilian market through the acquisition by ColepCCL of 51% of the companies Provider/Total Pack and the launch through this partnership of a new aerosol-based consumer products production plant
- Vitacress reinforces its position in the UK with the acquisition of Van Heyningen Brothers (VHB), one of the principal companies in the fresh herbs sector
- RAR Imobiliária has completed the “Edifício do Parque” development in Matosinhos, comprising 117 apartments and designed by architect Rogério Cavaca. Certified for sustainability by SGS, the project was awarded “Best Real Estate Project of the Year” at the Lisbon Real Estate Fair
2013
- Colep sets up an agreement for Manufacture and Technology with “One Asia Network” to cover the entire operations of both organisations in Asia, Australia, Brazil and Europe. This Agreement focused on combining Know-how, Innovation, R&D, Quality, Operations and Security is intended to develop and improve solutions for local and global clients
- Colep acquired an industrial unit in Mexico, marking the start of the Portuguese multinational in that market. Almost at the same time Colep entered a joint venture with a company in the United Arabic Emirates. This dual operation was set up simultaneously with the One Asia partnership and positioned Colep in the “Top 3” worldwide operators in its sector, making this RAR Group company unique in operating globally in the contract manufacturing field
2015
- Colep extended its majority controlling stake (51%) by acquiring all of the Brazilian operation, with assets of about 300 million Real (100 million Euro), in a business which has a leading position in the Brazilian market
- Continuing the process of reallocating assets in order to concentrate RAR Group investments in the most strategic companies, the sole shareholding in Imperial and the 50% stake in GeoStar were sold. RAR Group also sold its Vitacress UK tomato business
- With the extension of its glasshouse facilities Vitacress concluded the process of concentrating all its fresh herbs production at the Runcton Nursery site, making it the largest in Europe
2016
- Beginning of the construction of a new plant dedicated to "Liquids & Creams" segment in the industrial centre of Kleszczów, Poland, where Colep already had two other industrial units
- Vitacress begins the process of merging its Amesbury operations with St Mary Bourne, where all the salads production will be concentrated, with significant cost, efficiency and quality gains
2018
- Colep commenced operations at the new facility built in Kleszczów (Poland), following the strengthening of its position in the Liquids & Creams segment. Production was transferred to this site and to Bad Schmiedeberg (Germany), after divesting industrial assets in Zülpich (Germany)
- Vitacress increased its stake in Vitacress Real, the joint venture operated with the Dutch Gipmans Group, and completed the divestment of its tomato segment through the sale of production assets in Portugal and Spain
2019
- Vitacress Portugal has expanded to 350 ha its salad leaf farming operations area at Odemira, Portugal
2020
- Vitacress Salads began construction works to ienhance its packing facilities at St Mary Bourne
- Vitacress Herbs has increased its production capacity to support its entry into the horticultural market
- Colep has initiated capacity expansion projects for aerosol contract manufacturing in Mexico, as well as for Liquids & Creams in Poland and Portugal, in response to growing demand across the North American and European markets
2021
- Colep has announced the division of its operations into two distinct companies, effective from 1 July: Colep Packaging and Colep Consumer Products
2022
- Colep Packaging has acquired a 40% stake in ALM, a Spanish company with over 30 years of experience in the aluminium packaging sector, thereby expanding its portfolio and enhancing its range of packaging solutions
- The Vitacress companies have launched their environmental framework, outlining their ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050
- Vitacress has completed the extension and modernisation of its facility in St. Mary Bourne, UK, establishing one of the most advanced salad packing units in Europe
2023
- Colep Packaging and Envases Group formalised a joint venture agreement to establish a metal aerosol plant in Mexico - ENCOPACK - to supply customers in Mexico and the Central American markets
- Colep Consumer Products has restructured its industrial operations, ceasing operations in Brazil and scaling back its presence in Germany, while consolidating its operations in Poland, Portugal, and Mexico
- RAR Imobiliária has completed the “Quinta do Paço Lumiar” development in Lisbon, a collection of 17 houses designed by architect Eduardo Souto de Moura
2024
- Colep Packaging has acquired the entire share capital of “ALM, SL”, a Spanish company producing aluminium aerosols. The company has now been renamed “Colep Packaging Barcelona” and operates under the “Colep Packaging” brand. With this consolidation move, Colep Packaging strengthens its value proposition to the market as a preferred partner for metal packaging solutions
Colep Consumer Products has inaugurated an Innovation Center located in Vale de Cambra, Portugal – the “Innovation Hub.” With an investment of 3.5 million euros, the company has strengthened its position in the international market and reinforced its commitment to research, developing over 100 new innovative product formulas each year
2025
- RAR Imobiliária has completed the “Novo Parque” development, located on the border of Matosinhos and Porto’s City Park