What is SLs next move- Steve Lansdown raises £188m after selling off shares with Bristol Sport rumours swilling Could this herald a splurge by the Guernsey-based billionaire? Bristol City majority share holder Steve Lansdown has sold £188m worth of shares in his financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown. The news was reported in the company's latest trading update for October 2017, with the shares sold via 'an accelerated bookbuild after markets closed on 28 September'. A statement on the trading update covering a period up to 30 September read: 'These shares were held in his Fund & Share account and withdrawn from the Hargreaves Lansdown platform on 29 September with cash settlement on 3 October. As this transaction straddled the period end it has been treated as if both the sale and cash settlement occurred after the period end.' There has been speculation in the past that Lansdown may look to expand his Bristol Sport portfolio with the purchase of a cricket club, with rumours linking the former Thornbury Grammar pupil with Gloucestershire Cricket Club. Alternatively, could the cash reserves be used to fund a transfer splurge at City? That would be highly unlikely given that Lansdown has spoken about making City 'self-sustaining' in the future.
has sold shares, is on the channel islands so how much is the nett? financial fair play he would have to adjust the BCFC equity to put money in to club that said, maybe it is a an early warning of future intent to do with / allowing for gains taxation? April 7th 2018 is a end of year date! very close to the transfer window so will be able to have money either side? ( bit like you want £400 from a cash machine with daily limit of £200, go there at 23.57 withdraw, wait till 0001 withdraw! or it could be his income / expenses is all in shares and periodically has to cash a few in to survive for the next few years!
Or he could just buy the cricket club like it says. Or even more bizarrely, think it’s MY money so I will do what I want with it and not let JGF spend it. Or even more than likely being a financial man that he is, will reinvest it somewhere with more gain than he’s currently getting.
I don't know that much about finances at that level, but is any cricket club, even with assets, worth that much? One would assume that it would be Gloucester, but do they even own the County Ground? Forty years ago the Phoenix Assurance moved its HQ from Catford to Bristol, setting up on Redcliffe Hill (now the Mercure Hotel), and they, apparently, bought the County Ground to use as the company sports facility. Several times I played football on the outfield there, without doubt the best surface I ever played on!! Phoenix were later taken over by Sun Life, so god knows who owns it now!!
I doubt it will be used in its entirety for one thing but it certainly seems like it's withdrawn for a specific reason in part. New training ground, purchase of Glos CC (or whatever equivalent process that is), purchase of Ashton Road houses, there are several possibilities right there, and none of which would even touch a quarter of the amount he's withdrawn. I really can't see it but Bristol Sport tends to be digging more into motorsport, now that IS something which would require an enormous sum of money to begin with.
If I could spend Mr Lansdowns money it would be to create a community based football coaching facility at Ashton Vale. What Bristol provides and Bristol City provide in contrast to Europe is underwhelming.
bricks and mortar he actually sold them on the highest price (bar a few pence) that they have ever been, that makes sense, but still has I believe a 12% stake in the company. although the financial year is APRIL a lot of companies choose to have theirs differently, SL is likely a "company" like most pop stars and entrepreneurs so who knows An accelerated bookbuild is often used when a company is in immediate need of financing and debt financing is out of the question. This can be the case when a firm is looking to make an offer to acquire another firm. Read more: Accelerated Bookbuild http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/acceleratedbookbuild.asp#ixzz4vI0EnwLq
I did hear that there was a possibility of building an 8000 seater arena on Wickes site for basketball and concerts. However I think it was based on council approving housing on Ashton Vale. It would certainly get the council out of the hole over the Bristol arena shambles.
At the moment there is a lot of problems with financing it, it has apparently spiralled cost wise and being gazumped by 3000 seats hasn't gone down well. where it is being built is not the best of places as the council are again screwing up the traffic flow and redoing what they said was the best for the centre and temple meads a few years ago.. jobs worth's ... and car parking is minimal.. 12,000 people + needs at least 2-3000 car spaces! It would be interesting to know how many cars park for a match within 1/2 mile of AG! the excuse on roadworks is based on the metro system bus which from frenchay area (£60m+ rumoured) to centre will only "assist" 250? -300? people daily. ( possibly just 200 cars ) Currently it is aiming toward £250m from original £150m or so. the arena costs are spiralling toward £120m, and you can bet another £6-10m will be added before completed Cardiff arena at 15,000 seats likely to be £120m
who has the money? the council? Bristol Sport? and what would be the point of a 8000 seater as opposed to a 12,000, bearing in mind there is now consternation at Cardiff building a 15,000 PS there is currently a massive area at Filton which could be home to a 15000+ seater and plenty room for multi story parking ... BUT the gas could be tenants! mind you be a lot of empty seats......
An arena on this site would be foremost home to the Flyers and large conferences it would not be in direct competition to Cardiff. I am sure South Glos council would sort an arena out but for the moaning and bitching from Bristol City council. Look at the planned expansion of Cribbs retail park and their opposition to that. They really are a disgrace and a backward thinking authority.
You haven't actually explained how an 8000 seater stadium would replace a 12,000 seater, when the disappointment/consternation is a 12,000 v a 15000 CARDIFF one "hey look we have built a stadium, not where we wanted/were going to but it is in budget ... downside only 8000 seats" in shambled?
The thing is comparing against Cardiff is that Cardiff is a capital city with the Welsh assembly based there. It’s well known that the motorpoint is undersized for the city. However without Bristol getting one there is a issue of falling behind yet again. The big problem will be if Cardiff has a 15000 areana, and going for a 8000 areana will be the acts. If you’re promoting a tour you will probably stick to Cardiff due to size and bypass Bristol’s. I can’t see any of them doing both with them being so close.
