Stake: Department Store and Equity Firm

stake: The private equity firm Blue Gem bought Liberty for 32m in 2010 and refinanced it in 2014, reducing its stake to about 40% and allowing some investors to take cash out but nearly all to reinvest in buying the department store for 165m, according to The Guardian. It is understood Blue Gem is looking to offload its stake. The retail landmark, which was founded by Arthur Lasenby Liberty in 1875 with a 2,000 loan from his future father-in-law, has grown to become an international brand that sells its tana lawn fabrics and luxury leather goods around the world. It is unclear if other investors are willing to sell. About 60% of the store's profits come from selling own-label merchandise. Group sales reached 133m in the year to February 2018, up 8% year on year, while pretax profits more than tripled to nearly 7m. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.