Shipleys Amusements, the UK-based leisure group may soon be purchased by Nick Harding, one of the UK’s most established amusement arcade operators. The deal could be worth £25m.
Harding recently sold Talarius, the operator of the Quicksilver chain of slot machine gaming centres, to a joint venture run by Australia’s largest lottery operator and Macquarie Bank for £142m in 2006. Since then Harding has been looking for similar companies to buy.
Mr Harding became chief executive of Aldgate Capital after leaving Talarius. Aldgate Capital is an Aim-listed cash shell, which pursues acquisitions in the low-stake, high-volume gaming sector in the UK.
Aldgate is currently discussing the purchase of around 30 of Shipleys’ high street centres.
Shipleys had revenues of £10m in the last financial year and earnings in excess of £2m.
Harding has about 30 years’ experience in the arcade sector and has had senior management positions at Coral, Rank and Bass. He is president of the British Amusement Catering Trade Association and was also the founding chairman of iGGBA, the UK’s first interactive gaming association.
