U.K. betting firm Sportech "has given up in its attempts to sell The Football Pools, a betting game with roots back to Manchester's Old Trafford stadium in the 1920s, to private equity firm Burlywood Capital." Having entered exclusive talks with Burlywood for a proposed £97.25M ($119M) sale last month, Sportech said on Tuesday that discussions had "terminated." The popularity of the Pools "has been on the wane since the surge in online betting and the advent of other forms of gambling such as the National Lottery" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 11/1).
JD Sports Fashion, which "does well out of selling trainers" and football kits to Brits, "is proposing to split its shares" after the company reached a record high this year. The group said that its share price "has risen to a point, where it is 'appropriate' to recommend a sub-division of its ordinary shares in an effort to improve liquidity." The group last month reported a 20% increase in half-year revenues to £970.6M ($1.2B) and a 73% jump in pre-tax profits to £77.4M ($95M) as the "sports-luxe" fashion -- that has seen sportswear on catwalks -- "continues to drive demand for trainers and sportswear" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 11/1).