Hong Kong-listed women’s footwear retailer C.banner International Holdings will buy 255-year-old British toy shop Hamleys for around GBP100 million (USD154.1m), a source with direct knowledge of the deal said today.
The deal for the iconic British retailer, known as the oldest toy shop in the world, comes a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed close ties with Britain at the start of a pomp-laden visit that should seal more than USD46 billion of deals.
Some of London’s most famous shops have been snapped up by non-British investors. Qatar Holdings owns Harrods; Hong Kong-based Dickson Concepts owns Harvey Nichols; House of Fraser, a nationwide department store chain, is owned by China’s Sanpower Group; and Royal tailor Gieves & Hawkes is part of Hong Kong-listed Trinity Ltd.
(Source: The Malaysian Insider)