Shares in Clapham House Group, the operator of the Gourmet Burger Kitchen chain, dropped 10.5p to close yesterday at 156.5p despite fresh takeover talk surrounding the company.
Speculation regarding an approach increased as 2.2 million of the company’s shares were traded, with talk that broker WH Ireland had acquired a 5% stake for Capricorn Ventures International, which has already built a 14.5% stake in Clapham House.
It is believed that Capricorn’s stake building is the prelude to a takeover approach for Clapham House.
Capricorn, which already has a stake in Nando’s, was an investor in Pizza Express, where Clapham House chairman David Page was once chief executive.
It is thought that Cinven, the private equity backer of the Pizza Express operator, Gondola Holdings, is also eyeing the company.
The company’s share price was impacted by a downbeat trading statement from The Restaurant Group and also by the news that Sports Café was in talks with its banker regard an extension to it banking facilities after poor Christmas trading.
