Stan Kroenke is now the sole owner of Arsenal.GETTY IMAGES
Stan Kroenke completed his buyout of Arsenal and is now the sole owner of shares in the club. The American billionaire agreed to a £600M ($785M) deal with Alisher Usmanov in August that took him beyond the 90% ownership threshold, "after which he was obliged to buy all remaining shares." Though many supporters were "reluctant" to sell to Kroenke, they were "left with no choice" and those that did not immediately accept KSE UK’s offer of just under £30,000 ($39,250) "have now had their shares compulsorily purchased" (London EVENING STANDARD, 9/26).
The owner of Toby Carvery, Harvester and All Bar One "defied a downturn" in the casual dining sector as the World Cup and "soaring temperatures over the summer buoyed sales." Mitchells & Butlers, which owns more than a dozen pub and restaurant chains including O’Neills and Vintage Inns, reported revenues up 2.2% in the eight weeks to Sept. 22 on a like-for-like basis -- "stripping out the impact of newly opened and closed premises" (London TELEGRAPH, 9/27).
Chinese esports organizations QG eSports club and Fighting Esports Group were both reported to have completed their A-round financing with the value of the two rounds close to 100M yuan ($14.5M) apiece. The A-round financing of QG eSports club was led by Chinese venture capital company Toutoushidao Investment Fund. The financing of Fighting Esports Group was made by China Jianteng Sports Industry Fund (lead investor), SAIF Partners and Sea of Stars Capital (S Capital) (YUTANG SPORTS, 9/27).
