Solomon Lew buys 11% stake in Myer

Premier Investments, the owner of Smiggle, Peter Alexander and Just Jeans retailers, has been confirmed as the buyer of a large stake in Myer.

Myer signage at a retail store in Sydney

Myer is expected to make an announcement regarding the identity of its newest major shareholder. (AAP)

Solomon Lew's retail group Premier Investments has bought a large stake in Myer but says it is not currently planning a takeover bid for the department store chain.

Premier Investments confirmed on Wednesday that it bought a 10.77 per cent stake in Myer - a $101 million share purchase that sparked a jump of 18 per cent in the value of Myer shares on Monday.

A brief statement from Premier Investments called it a "strategic investment."

However, it said "it does not currently intend to make a takeover offer".

A separate statement from Century Plaza Investments, an investment group linked to Mr Lew which has a controlling stake in Premier, said it and associated entities had not acquired any securities in Myer but had a relevant interest courtesy of their stake in Premier.

A spokesman for Myer said the company acknowledged Premier's stake but said the team was focused on its transformation plan.

Mr Lew is a former chairman of Coles Myer and Premier's chief executive Mark McInnes is a former chief executive of luxury department store chain David Jones.

IG market strategist Evan Lucas said both men have a lot of experience in running department stores and there still could be a possibility of Premier making a takeover bid for Myer in future.

"Mr Lew has been saying for some time that he has been looking at investing in opportunities he sees in the market," Mr Lucas said.

"He knows Myer incredibly well and he also has in Mark McInnes a very savvy operator in large retailers."

Myer shares closed down 0.5 cents at $1.19 on Wednesday while Premier shares ended up 14 cents to $14.18.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world