Luxury cars, the most beautiful roads. Czech company charges hundreds of thousands for premium experiences

"We wanted to tell our clients that we would give them experiences not only on the best racing circuits, but also on beautiful public roads that they may not have known about," says entrepreneur Vladan Hájek about the name of the purely Czech agency, which organizes exclusive motoring events. Among other things, he operates hotels in the Czech Republic, represents the manufacturer of Colnago bicycles and cycling clothing Assos.The company's offer includes, for example, a ride in supercars tuscany, the Swiss Alps or over the Côte d'Azur, a Formula 1 course on the Catalan circuit or drifting in the snowy Lapland countryside.Ricard & Bonette arranges about a dozen similar premium trips for several days, the prices of which range from 150 thousand crowns. They are usually intended for a small group of eight to twelve people. However, the agency can also build experiences individually, tailored to each interested person.

Long-time friends Hájek and Hanus founded a joint company, expecting sales of around ten million crowns this year, in 2016.

Jakub Hanus returned from Switzerland, where he worked for a luxury car rental company. During his free weekends, he explored regions not only in the country of the Helvetian Cross, but also in neighboring Italy and France."Roads, restaurants, hotels. I got a lot of interesting stuff. At one point, however, I felt sorry that I experienced it all myself and did not share it with someone else," Hanus recalls the time when it flashed through his head that his hobby could find pleasure in others.

"We talked about it and I thought it was a pity that Jakub should just throw away his experience and let someone employ him in the Czech Republic," adds Hájek, who was also thinking about another business at the time."I prefer to do more smaller things than build one big business. Business-wise, it's irrational, but I enjoy it, so Jakub and I agreed," he describes.

During the five years of its existence, the company has organized luxury events for approximately five hundred clients, many of whom use its services repeatedly.

However, Vladan Hájek and Jakub Hanus are well aware that in order for their business focused on a narrow target group to continue to grow, they need to go abroad, which is their goal from the beginning – to become a global agency."

"I prefer to do more smaller things than build one big business. Business-wise, it's irrational, but I enjoy it, so Jakub and I agreed," he describes.

During the five years of its existence, the company has organized luxury events for approximately five hundred clients, many of whom use its services repeatedly.

However, Vladan Hájek and Jakub Hanus are well aware that in order for their business focused on a narrow target group to continue to grow, they need to go abroad, which is their goal from the beginning – to become a global agency.That is why at the beginning of this year, after many months of covid downturn, they released an investor – billionaire and minority owner of Livesport Jiří Mareš – into Ricard & Bonette. A lover of fast cars, especially Porsche cars, bought a fifth of the share. The remaining eighty percent continues to be evenly shared by the duo H + H."I've attended several events myself and I like what They do at Ricard & Bonette. The boys have interesting ideas and I believe that the company will be able to move forward," comments Mareš, who after livesport co-founder Martin Hájek established business cooperation with another bearer of this surname.

"My financial investment is already bearing interest in experiences, and that's important in life," he adds.