New adventures for the former strong man of Kalogiros Fr. Lemon

By Matina Harkoftaki

A few years ago, the well-known shoe chain Kalogirou may have taken a breather before the brink of financial ruin and finally saved itself, changing hands as it joined the Fais group, which entered the company as a strategic investor, but this does not mean that it has entered Finally, the financial adventures of the former president and CEO of Kalogiros, Frangiskos Lemonis.

Mr. Lemonis, along with the other members of the Lemonis family, was at the helm of the historical chain for several years, which has more than 100 years of presence in the Greek market and has associated its name with luxury brands abroad and not only in the industry. of shoes and leather accessories. The big “openings” created by the plan to expand its branch network throughout Greece as well as the debt crisis of the last decade, which dealt a severe blow to the domestic retail clothing and footwear sector, led the company to a dire position before about 5 years.

The padlock, however, was avoided and with it the jobs were spared. However, the open accounts of the Lemoni family with the banks were not closed despite the fact that part of their assets was sold. Thus, in the vortex of electronic auctions has been found the luxurious residence of Francis Lemonis in Kastri, which is scheduled to go under the hammer on May 18 if, in the meantime, there is no move to suspend the auction. Although this is the first time that this property – at least on the e-auction platform – follows this path, last year another property of Mr. Lemonis, which is located in Arachova, was posted last year, with the specific auction, however, to be suspended.

The 3-level maisonette with a starting price of 900,000 euros

In May, the luxury maisonette of the once powerful man of Kalogiros, which is located in Kastri in Nea Erithraia, is put up for auction with the first offer price set at 900,000 euros while CEPAL Hellas is in a hurry. It should be noted that the amount of the debt amounts to 512,870 euros while the property carries encumbrances with mortgage promissory notes from Alpha Bank that exceed 3 million euros.

This is a house with a total area of ​​498.15 sq.m. which is developed on three levels as it consists of basement, ground floor and first floor while it has three parking spaces and a swimming pool. According to the assessment report, among the advantages of this property are easy accessibility, the excellent residential area in which it is located and the fact that it has three parking spaces and a swimming pool. In addition, the plus is that it was built relatively recently (in 2007) while according to the external autopsy conducted in September 2021, the maisonette seems to be in very good condition. On the downside, the report mentions the fact that it is not a detached house and does not have a view.