The Kotva department store was bought by businessman Skala for more than two billion

The current change in ownership is the result of Irish developers using the money of local banks to buy real estate all over Europe, and during the economic crisis, their assets ended up with the banks because they stopped repaying the debt. During the state-organized rescue of Irish banks, these realities then got into the state consolidation agency NAMA, which is now organizing their sale.

In the 1990s, Kotva shares were transferred to the Trend fund, which was later tunnelled, in a coupon privatization. The newspaper recalled that Skala was one of the founders of the fund. Legal wrangling ensued, which also resulted in arbitration by former majority owner Forminster Enterprises against the state. Markland acquired Kotva in 2005 and invested hundreds of millions of crowns in its renovation according to E15, especially after the construction of the neighboring Palladium shopping center.

Kotva was built between 1970 and 1975. The department store is considered one of the most interesting Czechoslovak buildings of the 1970s. The building has five floors above ground and its floor plan consists of several nested hexagons. The building was designed by husband and wife Věra and Vladimír Machonin.