Tonson Group is a diversified investment company based in Bangkok, Thailand that is part of the Ratanarak Group.
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History
Tonson Group was founded in 2006 by Chachchon Ratanarak. The Ratanarak family have substantial or controlling holdings in a number of Thai-based companies including Bangkok Broadcasting and Television (operator of Channel 7 Thailand), Bank of Ayudhya, Siam City Cement, Ayudhya Allianz CP, Sri Ayudhya Capital, Matching Studio, Grand Canal Land and Eastern Star Real Estate.
Tonson Group has diversified investments in Thailand and internationally. Areas of particular focus include property and construction, leisure, media, new media and technology. Tonson Group has a team of senior analysts supporting its investment strategy and providing an advisory capability within the Ratanarak Group. Tonson Group’s office is in Tonson Tower, an office block in Ploenchit, Bangkok which, along with neighbouring Ploenchit Tower, is owned by the Ratanarak Group.
Tonson Group owns subsidiary Tonson Property, one of three property development companies in the Ratanarak Group. Tonson Group is developing Tonson Property as a luxury and ultra-prime property brand specialising in contemporary minimalist architecture and design.
Involvement with Rama III District
Chachchon’s father Krit Ratanarak is reported to be taking a lead in the development of Bangkok’s Rama III Riverside district in the central south west of the city. Krit is also reported to have bought the Prada store on Bond Street, London for £32 million in 2011 through Tonson Group and property companies within the Ratanarak Group.
The Rama III area was referred to as ‘the Wall Street of Bangkok’ before the 1996 financial crisis. Today it is again regarded as an up-and-coming district of central Bangkok amid long-term moves to redevelop the area along the lines of London’s Canary Wharf. In 2010 the Rama III area saw the second highest increase in condominium prices in central Bangkok after the Central Business District.
The Rama III area has a high volume of undeveloped land that runs along the river and some of the city’s best transport infrastructure, including the Bhumibol Bridge named after Thailand’s king who opened the new bridge in 2010. Rama III has been identified by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority as part of a zone to be developed as a model of environmentally friendly transit. The Rama III riverside area was unaffected by the severe flooding that submerged many areas of Bangkok in November 2011.
Tonson Group’s first development in Rama III is an ultra prime condominium project called The Sathu Residences.