Reuters/Dubai
Qatar’s Mannai Corporation and Egyptian investment bank EFG Hermes have taken control of Dubai’s Damas after their consortium’s $445mn offer was accepted by more than 75% of the jeweller’s shareholders. The bidders have received acceptances representing 78.37% of Damas’s share capital for their $0.45 per share offer, according to a statement on the Nasdaq Dubai bourse yesterday. “This effectively means the consortium has now acquired control,” the statement said. Following this, five Damas board members resigned, including executive chairman Ibrahim Belselah. The new members include Alekh Grewal, Mannai chief executive, and Karim Moussa, a managing director in private equity at EFG Hermes. Damas shares have nearly doubled in value this year to $0.435, surging after its major shareholders the Abdullah brothers - Tawfique Abdullah, Tawhid Abdullah and Tamjid Abdullah - in early January said they were looking to sell some of their holdings. Mannai, whose operations span the oil and gas, automotive, travel and logistics sectors, will become the majority owner of Damas, and will delist the jeweller from Nasdaq Dubai. The bidders earlier stated Mannai would hold a 66% stake in Damas and EFG Hermes 19%, with the remaining 15% retained by the Abdullah brothers. For Mannai, the deal would be its second buy in the UAE after it snapped up a 35% stake in Axiom Telecom in 2011.