Kreuger & Toll
Encyclopedia
Kreuger & Toll was a company founded May 18, 1908 by the two Swedish
engineers, Ivar Kreuger
and Paul Toll
, with Henrik Kreüger
working as a consultant and chief engineer.
. At the same time Henrik Kreüger had introduced Paul Toll to Ivar. It turned out that Ivar formed the company with Paul, who had several years of practical experience in the construction business as an engineer, and was later site manager for the Swedish construction company Kasper & Höglund AB.
The company was founded as a construction company with the name Kreuger & Toll May 18, 1908 by Ivar Kreuger and Paul Toll with a total start capital of 10,000 SEK
. The company was set up with a 60/40% ownership (Ivar 60%) and a profit split 50/50 between Ivar and Paul. The original capital was raised by the banker Oscar Rydbeck that became Ivar's main bank contact and economic adviser all along until the so-called Kreuger crash in April 1932. On August 10, 1911 the company changed to AB
with the registered name Kreuger & Toll AB.
In 1917 Kreuger & Toll AB was divided in two parts; (1) Kreuger & Toll Construction AB, run by Paul Toll and (2) the holding company Kreuger & Toll AB run by Ivar Kreuger. At the same time Swedish Match
was founded. In parallel Kreuger started to invest in a number of industrial companies, mainly in the Swedish industry. In 1923 Kreuger founded the holding company IMCO (International Match Corporation) together with Lee, Higginson & Co.
in New York
. IMCO handled the Kreuger match business in America, South America and other countries outside Europe.
During the year 1930, 64% of the entire trade on the Stockholm stock exchange was related to Kreuger companies, which also were involved in complicated international financial operations.
In April 1932, a month after Ivar Kreuger's suicide, most of the Kreuger empire went bankrupt as well as Ivar Kreuger himself, who left nothing behind for his family. All of Kreuger's personal belongings, including houses, boats, furniture, paintings, etc., was sold at several auctions in 1932. Kreuger & Toll Construction AB however survived, as this company did not belong to the holding company, although the financial connections between these companies was never fully clarified. The company changed its name to just Toll Construction AB. The company merged with another Swedish construction company in 1968. Swedish Match was reconstructed in 1936 with the help of government guaranteed loans that was repaid within a couple of years, but IMCO did not survive. The work with the bankruptcy took nine years, and was not completed until 1941. One of the reasons for the long investigation time was that the documentation was insufficient, transactions were difficult to follow and complex cross-ownerships between the companies that was almost impossible to straighten out. Ivar Kreuger also had made complex transactions that no one else except himself knew about. Only Kreuger had the full view of how the company was built up.
A summary of the economics for the holding company Kreuger & Toll AB, including the American holding company IMCO, excluding the construction business within Kreuger & Toll Construction AB, was carried out in 1943, showing the following figures;
To cover this huge gap, analysts have claimed that Ivar Kreuger's intention was probably to slowly increase the match prices as soon as he had gained control of the entire match production in the world, parallel with the increased profits from his industrial companies that soon became a large part of the holding company's business, and continuously increasing during 1930, while the match industry had a tendency to slowly decrease in importance.
Swedish Match and Kreuger & Toll AB holding company headquarters was the Tändstickspalatset (Matchstick Palace)
with the address Västra Trädgårdsgatan 15 in Stockholm
, where Ivar Kreuger had his Swedish office. The house was built by Kreuger & Toll Construction AB. The main office for the Swedish Match remained in the same building until 1991.
Swedes
Swedes are a Scandinavian nation and ethnic group native to Sweden, mostly inhabiting Sweden and the other Nordic countries, with descendants living in a number of countries.-Etymology:...
engineers, Ivar Kreuger
Ivar Kreuger
Ivar Kreuger was a Swedish civil engineer, financier, entrepreneur and industrialist. In 1908 Kreuger co-founded the construction company Kreuger & Toll Byggnads AB which specialized in new building techniques. By aggressive investments and innovative financial instruments he built a global match...
and Paul Toll
Paul Toll
Paul Sequens Esaias Toll was a Swedish construction engineer and co-founder, together with Ivar Kreuger, of the construction company Kreuger & Toll....
, with Henrik Kreüger
Henrik Kreüger
Henrik Kreüger was born in Kalmar, Sweden and obtained his M.Sc. in civil engineering in 1904 at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm....
working as a consultant and chief engineer.
History
Early 1908, Ivar and his cousin Henrik Kreüger had planned to found a construction company that would work for the US company Trussed Concrete Steel Co. on the Swedish market, to represent its new building methods based on reinforced concreteReinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
. At the same time Henrik Kreüger had introduced Paul Toll to Ivar. It turned out that Ivar formed the company with Paul, who had several years of practical experience in the construction business as an engineer, and was later site manager for the Swedish construction company Kasper & Höglund AB.
The company was founded as a construction company with the name Kreuger & Toll May 18, 1908 by Ivar Kreuger and Paul Toll with a total start capital of 10,000 SEK
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
. The company was set up with a 60/40% ownership (Ivar 60%) and a profit split 50/50 between Ivar and Paul. The original capital was raised by the banker Oscar Rydbeck that became Ivar's main bank contact and economic adviser all along until the so-called Kreuger crash in April 1932. On August 10, 1911 the company changed to AB
Aktiebolag
Aktiebolag is the Swedish term for "limited company" or "corporation". When used in company names, it is abbreviated "AB" or "Ab"...
with the registered name Kreuger & Toll AB.
In 1917 Kreuger & Toll AB was divided in two parts; (1) Kreuger & Toll Construction AB, run by Paul Toll and (2) the holding company Kreuger & Toll AB run by Ivar Kreuger. At the same time Swedish Match
Swedish Match
Swedish Match is a Swedish company based in Stockholm that makes snus, tobacco, cigars , Red Man Chewing Tobacco, dipping tobacco, matches and lighters. It was founded as Svenska Tändsticksaktiebolaget by Ivar Kreuger in 1917 in Jönköping...
was founded. In parallel Kreuger started to invest in a number of industrial companies, mainly in the Swedish industry. In 1923 Kreuger founded the holding company IMCO (International Match Corporation) together with Lee, Higginson & Co.
Lee, Higginson & Co.
Lee, Higginson & Co. was a prominent Boston-based investment bank during the 1840s to 1932, home of many members of Boston Brahmin establishment. The bank collapsed in the Swedish match scandal in 1932 while under the leadership of Jerome Davis Greene. Also known for financing the growth of...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. IMCO handled the Kreuger match business in America, South America and other countries outside Europe.
During the year 1930, 64% of the entire trade on the Stockholm stock exchange was related to Kreuger companies, which also were involved in complicated international financial operations.
In April 1932, a month after Ivar Kreuger's suicide, most of the Kreuger empire went bankrupt as well as Ivar Kreuger himself, who left nothing behind for his family. All of Kreuger's personal belongings, including houses, boats, furniture, paintings, etc., was sold at several auctions in 1932. Kreuger & Toll Construction AB however survived, as this company did not belong to the holding company, although the financial connections between these companies was never fully clarified. The company changed its name to just Toll Construction AB. The company merged with another Swedish construction company in 1968. Swedish Match was reconstructed in 1936 with the help of government guaranteed loans that was repaid within a couple of years, but IMCO did not survive. The work with the bankruptcy took nine years, and was not completed until 1941. One of the reasons for the long investigation time was that the documentation was insufficient, transactions were difficult to follow and complex cross-ownerships between the companies that was almost impossible to straighten out. Ivar Kreuger also had made complex transactions that no one else except himself knew about. Only Kreuger had the full view of how the company was built up.
A summary of the economics for the holding company Kreuger & Toll AB, including the American holding company IMCO, excluding the construction business within Kreuger & Toll Construction AB, was carried out in 1943, showing the following figures;
- Actual profits generated from 1917–1932: 151 million SEKSwedish kronaThe krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
(in year 2007 equal to 4 000 million SEK) - Actual return value to owners of shares and debentures, 1917–1932: 668 million SEK (in year 2007 equal to 18 500 million SEK)
To cover this huge gap, analysts have claimed that Ivar Kreuger's intention was probably to slowly increase the match prices as soon as he had gained control of the entire match production in the world, parallel with the increased profits from his industrial companies that soon became a large part of the holding company's business, and continuously increasing during 1930, while the match industry had a tendency to slowly decrease in importance.
Swedish Match and Kreuger & Toll AB holding company headquarters was the Tändstickspalatset (Matchstick Palace)
Matchstick Palace
The Matchstick Palace ís an office building with the address Västra Trädgårdsgatan No. 15 in Stockholm. It was commissioned by the "Match King" Ivar Kreuger as the headquarters of Svenska Tändsticks AB . It was designed by architect, Ivar Tengbom and built by Kreuger & Toll Construction AB during...
with the address Västra Trädgårdsgatan 15 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, where Ivar Kreuger had his Swedish office. The house was built by Kreuger & Toll Construction AB. The main office for the Swedish Match remained in the same building until 1991.