December 2020
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Village Roadshow takeover marks the end of an era
Feuding John and Robert Kirby can act independently at last after Village Roadshow fell into the hands of private equity, largely because COVID-19 killed the cinema.
- Tony Boyd
Village family feud ends with BGH bid
BGH will pay $3 per share for the storied Village Roadshow, which owns and operates Warner Bros Movie World, Wet ‘n’ Wild, Sea World and a chain of Victoria cinemas.
- Updated
- Max Mason
Village is confident of sale to BGH Capital
A successful takeover will put an end to a chapter of the storied Village business, which has been run by the Kirby family for three generations.
- Max Mason
Village Roadshow ride awaits the final turn
If Mittleman Brothers wants to guarantee that BGH fails in its takeover bid for Village, it has to significantly step up its share acquisition before the end of the week.
- Max Mason
October 2020
Like Lazarus, Robert Kirby rises
According to the scheme of arrangement documents, it is the intention of Village Roadshow's major shareholders that under BGH's ownership, Kirby will remain as executive chairman.
- Myriam Robin
BGH's offer for Village Roadshow 'fair and reasonable'
The board is soon expected to release an independent report by Grant Samuel declaring the scheme fair and reasonable ahead of the vote for shareholders.
- Max Mason
Village pushes ahead with BGH takeover despite investor protest
Village Roadshow's largest independent shareholder wants the corporate regulator to step in and stop the takeover from private equity firm BGH Capital.
- Updated
- Max Mason
The Village Roadshow roller coaster may have more twists and turns
New York-based funds manager Mittleman Brothers is trying to rally support to stop a takeover by private equity firm BGH Capital.
- Max Mason
August 2020
Cinema and theme park operator Village Roadshow hit hard by COVID-19
Village, which has entered into an implementation agreement with local private equity firm BGH Capital, reported a net loss of $117.4 million for the 2019-20 financial year.
- Max Mason
Palaszczuk's tough borders will cost Village Roadshow owners $21.2m
The Queensland Premier's flagged intention to keep the state border shut until Christmas will cost tourism operators dearly.
- Myriam Robin
Village Roadshow and BGH enter into scheme of arrangement
Village Roadshow and BGH Capital have lined up two structures for the theme park and cinema company's shareholders to potentially sell to the homegrown private equity firm.
- Max Mason
June 2020
Sea World gets a rush as Village reopens theme parks
More than 4000 people turned up to Sea World on Friday and another 5000 came on Saturday, the company said.
- Max Mason
Village's Gold Coast theme parks to reopen
The Queensland government has approved plans to reopen Wet'n'Wild and Movie World on July 15.
- Max Mason
May 2020
Reduced Village Roadshow bid 'a shameful act'
Village Roadshow shareholder Mittleman Brothers has slammed BGH Capital's $2.40 per share offer for the theme parks and cinema business as opportunistic.
- Updated
- Max Mason
How COVID-19 provided the next twist in the Village family feud
It's the story of how a family feud got mugged by the coronavirus, destroying hundreds of millions of dollars of shareholder value and putting one of Australia's best-known brands in the corporate intensive care unit.
- Max Mason
February 2020
Village sets itself for international tourist drought
Private equity target Village Roadshow has warned extreme weather, including bushfires and flooding, and the coronavirus hurting inbound tourism to Australia will hit its full-year earnings.
- Updated
- Max Mason
January 2020
BGH v PEP auction: Village Roadshow to open books
BGH Capital has set up a blockbuster showdown for Village Roadshow, lobbing a bid for the cinema and theme park business to rival Pacific Equity Partners.
- Updated
- Max Mason and Jemima Whyte
December 2019
Mittleman Brothers seeks better offer for Village Roadshow
Mittleman Brothers has revealed a 5.13 per cent stake in Village Roadshow, making it the largest shareholder after John Kirby, Robert Kirby and Graham Burke.
- Max Mason
August 2019
Village Roadshow's family feud shows signs of cooling
Graham Burke said the return to dividends is part of Village Roadshow's ongoing permanent plan to return capital to shareholders.
- Max Mason
July 2019
Former Foxtel and News Corp boss joins Village board
Peter Tonagh joins Village at a time when the business has been under immense pressure from investors and is in the midst of a family feud playing out at the board level.
- Max Mason