Stelios Haji-Ioannou: The business “empire” of 1,000 easy brands and Greece

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s notable presence in entrepreneurship intersects with his philanthropic efforts, as highlighted in detailed reports from Monaco about the Greek Cypriot billionaire, who resides in the Principality.

Although he has stepped down from the leadership of the low-cost airline he founded, easyJet, he continues to manage a vast business empire and maintain his brand. The Monaco Tribune lauds him as “a true genius of marketing.”

Sir Stelios is highly active in Monaco, dedicating significant time to the charitable endeavors of his Foundation, to which he has pledged the majority of his wealth. His contributions are well-remembered, particularly the success of easyGroup over the past 30 years and easyJet’s pivotal role in transforming the air travel industry since the ’90s.

Despite gradually withdrawing from the management of easyJet since 2010, Sir Stelios remains a major shareholder with a 15% stake. The pandemic, Brexit, and internal disputes have impacted easyJet’s trajectory, but he reached an agreement with the management in 2022 to purchase nearly 60 new Airbus aircraft.

His primary focus now is the “easy family” of brands, comprising over 1,000 registered trademarks. These include easyJet, easyHotel, easyCar, easyMoney, easyStorage, easyBus, easyFly, easyHub, easyProperty, easyCoffee, easyGym, easyFerry, easyStorage, easyTech, easyKiosk, easyInsure, easyCinema, easyCruise, easyRentacar, easyInternetcafe, easyContainer, easyTruck, easyFood, easyMusic, easyTelecom, easyTravel, easyMobile, easyJobs, easyGaming, easyWatch, easyTaxi, easyVan, easyAir, easyFootball, easyTrain, easyCurrency, easyCoach, easyEnergy, easyDogwalker, easyParking, easyArt, easyMortgage, and many others.

While some of these brands are active in Greece, with around 100-150 currently operational, the registration of numerous others allows easyGroup to expand into new industries if suitable partners are found.

Recent Greek ventures of easyGroup include easyCasa (an online homewares platform), easyBoat (an electronic price comparison platform for chartering pleasure boats worldwide), and easyCinema, among others. Notably, they have revived the iconic cinema “Cine Paris” in collaboration with Stelios Haji-Ioannou and Cinobo.

The business model of easyGroup relies on licensing revenue from a variety of companies, receiving 0.25% of the price of every airline ticket purchased on easyJet.com. Sir Stelios is quoted as saying, “The best business idea I ever had was to start a low-cost airline. The second was to keep the ‘easy’ name in my private company so that I could expand the brand and at the same time retain ownership of the name.”

The easy brand has been at the center of multiple legal battles, with Sir Stelios determined to protect its intellectual property, which is his main source of income and supports his philanthropic efforts. He actively pursues legal action against those who use the easy brand name without authorization, referring to them as “brand thieves.” This includes actions against an online auction company, a car business, and a music band for misleading consumers and violating easyGroup’s quality controls.

Sir Stelios’s philanthropic activities are extensive, supporting young entrepreneurs, providing food donations to vulnerable groups, aiding the homeless, funding sports and peace initiatives, and offering scholarships, among other endeavors. His motto, “to give back to society what it has given me,” reflects his commitment to social responsibility and generosity.

Sir Stelios, consistently on the Forbes’ “golden” list of the world’s richest people, received the highest honor in the Principality, the Order of Saint Charles medal, from Prince Albert II in November 2023. In 2006, he was also knighted in the United Kingdom at a young age by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to entrepreneurship, which continued unabated three decades after the founding of easyGroup.

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