Pelham Bell Pottinger, the leading corporate and financial public relations advisory, is delighted to announce that it advised Qatar Holding on its £1.5 billion acquisition of Harrods and led media relations activities for the deal. The surprise announcement on Saturday 8 May shows that the sovereign fund is making further solid progress in its strategy of buying prestigious top-performing businesses at the right point in the economic cycle.
Qatar Holding LLC is the strategic and direct investment arm of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). The Harrods deal is the first time Qatar Holding has bought 100 per cent of a European company directly, having previously taken stakes in Barclays, Credit Suisse, Hassad Food, J Sainsbury, the London Stock Exchange, Lagardere, Porsche and Volkswagen. Over the past three years the QH portfolio has grown significantly and now includes assets across the globe and in different business sectors. This portfolio is projected to grow as QH makes additional investments to diversify sources of revenue and help secure the economic future of the State of Qatar.
On the morning of the announcement the Bell Pottinger teams in London, Dubai and Qatar worked quickly to brief media on the story, rapidly organising a press conference at Harrods in the store's Egyptian Hall and working with the Harrods team to ensure blanket coverage of the story. Before boarding a plane back to the Middle East, Ahmad al-Sayed, chief executive of Qatar Holding followed-up the press conference with an exclusive Financial Times interview in which he discussed developing the Harrods business and brand.
Qatar Holding is advised by Pelham Bell Pottinger. The team working on the deal included James Henderson, Stephen Benzikie, Olly Scott and Samantha Boston in London; Alisdair Haythornthwaite in Dubai, Samson Samasoni in Qatar and Shih-Huei Ang in Singapore. Pelham Bell Pottinger is part of Bell Pottinger Group, the UK's leading public relations company for the last eight years.
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For further information please contact:
James Henderson
020 7337 1501
www.pelhambellpottinger.co.uk
Notes to editors
About Pelham Bell Pottinger
Pelham Bell Pottinger is part of the Bell Pottinger Group www.bell-pottinger.co.uk the number one PR Group in the UK.
Pelham Bell Pottinger is the financial and corporate communications arm of Bell Pottinger Group and provides strategic advice to business leaders, financial institutions and governments around the world. Led by 30 senior consultants the company provides its clients with a completely integrated portfolio of communications services – blending research and analysis with digital and television skills as well as media, political and investor relations. We are among the City of London’s top three business communications consultancies, as measured by the number of clients listed on the London stock market.
Drawing upon the skill, depth and sector specific experience across the Pelham Bell Pottinger team, we work across all key market sectors. We work with more than 150 financial clients, including world class brands, FTSE 100, AIM listed and private businesses, international companies, sovereign wealth funds, governmental bodies and regulatory authorities.
Recent activities include:
• Helping position Temasek, the US$120 billion Singaporean investment fund, as one of the world’s largest investors
• Positioning and managing deal flow for TPG, the world’s largest private equity fund
• Developing a global programme to protect and promote London’s Savile Row as the home of style and men’s tailoring
• Advising China’s national oil company, Sinochem, on its £532 million acquisition of Emerald Energy
• Advising investment group RHJI on its bid for General Motors Europe and its acquisition of Kleinwort Benson Private Bank
• Advising on Imperial Tobacco’s €13 billion takeover of Altadis, creating one of the world’s leading tobacco groups
• Positioning and profiling Lord March in the business pages of every National newspaper, as well as assisting with the corporate profile of Goodwood as the UK’s leading luxury sporting destination
• Developed investor profile for Barrick Gold across Europe through arranging an investor roadshow programme in London, Paris, Geneva and Zurich for over 250 investors
