Blow to AIM as pawnbroker Ramsdens snapped up by US giant for £206m

Tuesday 23 June 2026 7:33 am

Pawnbroker Ramsdens has been snapped up by a US giant in a whisk that may maybe lead to the company losing off London’ junior inventory market.
The deal – with Nasdaq-listed Firstcash – valued the retailer at a wintry £206m, whereas shareholders are arrangement to receive up to 609p per half as portion of the tie-up.
The offer marks a 35 per cent premium over Ramsdens’ most in vogue closing tag 454p per half, and a 24 per cent premium over its all-time excessive closing tag of 493 pence, which it notched on on June 3 2026.
The Ramsdens board intends to unanimously counsel that shareholders vote in favour of the deal.
Firstcash boasts a market cap of over $10bn and stated it may maybe presumably maybe maybe exercise the deal to magnify its footprint in the UK, after it obtained excessive avenue rival H&T closing 365 days.
Ramdens driving excessive on gold breeze
The excessive avenue unit has benefited from the narrate in gold costs over the closing 365 days, with its inventory tag rising over 60 per cent in 2025 as gold leapt to new records.
Its revenue climbed 62 per cent to £83.7m in the most in vogue financial 365 days, a soar from £51.6m closing 365 days.
Jewellery retail used to be a standout performer with revenue up 26 per cent to £26.1m. This helped pave the strategy for a whopping 173 per cent surge in pre-tax revenue, at a yarn £16.7m.
The takeover tees Ramsdens up to mark the most in vogue in a future of delistings from AIM as portion of the deal.
Final week, luxurious cinema chain Everyman arrangement out plans to fall its London listing over stress from its shareholders, including an funding company poised to arrangement off a takeover uncover.
The company’s inventory has shed almost about 80 per cent of its price in the closing 5 years. Its board stated it believed that there are extra shareholders, accounting for at the least 11 per cent of its capital, who need the cinema company to forestall the London Inventory Change.


