John Keells Holdings
Introduction '''John Keells Holdings PLC''' ('''JKH''') is one of the largest conglomerate companies in Sri Lanka. From managing hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives to providing port, marine fuel and logistics services to IT solutions, manufacturing of food and beverages to running a chain of supermarkets, tea broking to stock broking, life insurance and banking to real estate, the Group of companies has made its presence felt in virtually every major sphere of the economy.JKH is a full member of the World Economic Forum and has issued Global Depository Receipts on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, and was the first Sri Lankan company to be listed overseas. As a Member of the Global Compact – the United Nations-sponsored international corporate citizenship initiative, JKH is also committed to sustainable development and greater social responsibility, in a multi-stakeholder context. Keells continues its position as the most valuable company in Sri Lanka since the 1980s.
History Edwin and George John founded John Keells in the 1870s. They incorporated the company in Colombo, Ceylon with the name E.John & Co. In 1960 they changed the name to John Keells. It was initially set up as a manufacturer of tea and essential foods. In 1948 E. John & Co. merged with two UK based companies including Thompson and White & Co. Ltd.During the 1970s and 1980s, the company mainly focussed on new opportunities in the tourist industry. In 1986, the name was changed again, from John Keells Ltd to John Keells Holdings Ltd. In 1986/87 John Keells went public.
Shareholding The number of shares of John Keells is approximately 1.32 Billion. In 2021, the share price of JKH reached Rs. 147.The promoter group, the  SK Captain family, hold 11.62% of the total shares whereas the remaining 88.38% shares are held by public shareholders, including Citigroup.=== Listing ===The company's equity shares have been listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange since the 1980s. As of 2021, JKH's market capitalization stood at Rs195 billion, making it the largest company in Sri Lanka. Approximately 6% of its total market cap. In 1994 the Global Depository Receipts issued by the company were listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.Company has received domestic credit rating of AAA (lka) from Fitch. It was to become the 10th most valuable brand in Sri Lanka worth Rs. US$103 million in 2020 (excluding Elephant House).
Businesses and investments === Transportation Sector ===John Keells' total revenue from logistics was 10%, from transporting 12% and 5% from supply chain management.John Keells Logistics (Pvt) Ltd. is a logistic, supply chain management and transportation management company. It is a subsidiary of John Keells. It is a recipient of the ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 certifications.Mackinnons is one of the oldest logistic companies in Sri Lanka. It was founded by India Steamship Company in 1917.Mackinnons Group was acquired by John Keells in the 1970s.=== Startup Accelerator ===John Keells Holdings launched John Keells X in 2016 to boost creative and intellectual business talent in Sri Lanka via a competitive programme conceptualized and administered by John Keells Holdings PLC. It includes investment in Blue lotus 360, DirectPay, HeliosP2P, SenzAgro.
Finances + John Keells Holdings financial performance Year  Revenue in bil. LKR  EBIT in bil. LKR  Profit in bil. LKR  Equity in bil. LKR  Capital employed in bil. LKR  Earnings per share LKR 2023  276.640  40.392  18.896  360.418  624.478  13.12 2022  218.075  34.359  20.443  330.091  598.319  15.13 2021  127.676  7.931  3.951  242.987  415.891  3.62 2020  138.956  15.508  9.741  243.723  344.630  7.14 2019  135.456  20.198  16.237  230.358  284.871  11.13 2018  121.215  28.155  23.120  224.864  254.587  15.2 2017  106.273  23.324  18.117  194.331  217.097  11.9 2016  93.710  20.192  15.792  168.481  189.231  10.5 2015  91.852  19.226  15.745  150.077  174.011  12.6 2014  86.706  16.537  12.958  134.319  160.458  10.5Source: Annual Report, 2022/23 (p. 305)
References