Entrepreneur story: Jan Popov, Raskone

Raskone became part of Relais Group in January 2021, when Relais acquired the nationwide multi-brand service and repair chain for commercial vehicles. Jan Popov, who had served as CEO of Raskone since 2018, continued in his role following the transaction and is now also responsible for the entire commercial vehicle services business area within the Group’s management team.

Ahead of the transaction, a key priority for Popov in the ownership change was to find an industrial owner for Raskone with deep industry expertise and a clear, long-term growth strategy. Equally important were the owner’s ability to take the company to the next phase of its development while recognising and preserving existing strengths. Relais stood out as a buyer particularly due to its partnership-driven approach: operational management retains its responsibilities, the Group supports growth, and ownership is focused on long-term value creation.

“Relais is not just a buyer, but a partner that genuinely takes responsibility, trusts operational management and supports growth with a long-term mindset,” Popov summarises.

Popov sees that a well-executed transaction creates growth opportunities not only for the company but also for the sellers and the entire personnel. Under Relais’ ownership, Raskone has grown both organically and through acquisitions. The Group’s expertise in strategic planning, M&A and business development has strengthened the conditions for growth, and the sharing of best practices across companies and countries has created value that would have been impossible to achieve independently.

Popov’s own role has evolved from day-to-day operations to a more strategic focus. Responsibility for the entire commercial vehicle services business area enables a broader view beyond individual markets and supports building growth at the Group level. Working within a group environment has emphasised the importance of building a strong management team, effective delegation and a scalable organisation
in long-term value creation.

“The larger the area of responsibility, the more important it becomes to find the right people and build trust. You need to put the right people in the right roles and give them the space to perform better than I could myself,” says Popov.