Mon, 17 Oct 2016 | MERGER
Betting firms Ladbrokes and Coral have agreed to sell 359 betting shops, paving the way for their £2.7 billion merger.
Betfred will take 322 stores for £55 million and Stan James will buy the rest for £500,000. Ladbrokes said the deal, subject to approval, cleared the "last significant hurdle" for its merger with Coral. If the two firms merge they'll become the largest bookmaker in the UK.
The sale is an attempt to appease the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which said the firms must sell off between 350 and 400 shops to prevent a monopoly. The CMA will now assess the deals. Ladbrokes and Coral said they would seek approval to complete the merger when they sell one more shop.
Ladbrokes chief executive, Jim Mullen, said: "The sale of these shops will clear the last significant hurdle to delivering on the merger with Coral and paves the way for our focus on completion and quickly delivering on the opportunities the merger offers."
William Hill, the current market leader, is also planning a multi-billion-pound merger with Canadian online gambling and gaming firm Amaya, although shareholders are against the deal.
Asset house Parvus, William Hill's largest shareholder, said the move had "limited strategic logic" and would "destroy shareholder value". The company advised William Hill to explore other options, including a sale of the business.
There's a lot of information about selling a business here.
This is an opportunity to acquire the business and assets of an established high-end fresh produce wholesaler. Initial offers are to be submitted no later than 5pm on 21 September 2026.
This is an opportunity to acquire an established full-service law firm. Interested parties should provide indicative offers by 12pm on 18 September 2026, with a view to completing a transaction shortly thereafter.
This innovative enterprise software business specialises in seamlessly migrating legacy applications and providing IT estate visibility, enabling clients to extend the life of existing applications and transition to modern environments with minimal d...
Looking for more businesses? Try our off-market tool.
Please choose your settings for this site below. For more information please read our Cookie Policy
These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly and provide you with access to all features.
These are analytics cookies that help us to improve the way our website works.
These are used to improve the functional performance of the website and make it easier for you to use.