Laporta: “Between the two operations we have to make at least 600 million”
BARCELONA, 16 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Extraordinary Assembly of Compromising Members of FC Barcelona has ratified this Thursday the first vote on BLM (Barça Licensing & Merchandising,SL), to authorize the sale of 49.9 percent of the share capital, with 568 favorable votes of the 671 compromising .
Auditori 1899 became the center of operations and the Assembly was constituted on the second call at 7:00 p.m., with 636 compromising members out of a total of 4,478 summoned electronically. In the first vote, 830 people were present, of whom 671 voted, including 65 against and 13 blank.
The partners authorized the acquisition by one or more investors of a minority share of the company’s capital stock (up to 49.9 percent) of BLM, including physical stores, online sales and through third parties (wholesalers) and licensed products.
A company that has achieved an income of 56 million euros this season and, according to the external company KPMG, the total valuation of BLM would be around 600 and 700 million. In this sense, Laporta admitted that the four offers on the table, for half the capital, are between 200 and 300 million euros. A six-year business plan that would allow them to invoice around 1,200 million euros.
Also, the intention of the Barça institution is to have the opportunity to repurchase these shares at the end of the mandate in 2026. An economic lever that would vary its price depending on the assets that are part of it, such as the contract with the Nike brand, although they hope to only include the royalties, that is, 20 million per season.
“When we arrived there was Barça Corporate, which included BLM, Barça Studios, the Academies and the Innovation Hub. For all this, it was 200 million and half for the club, that’s why we didn’t do it. Now we only raise 49.9 percent of BLM”, added the president of the entity, Joan Laporta.
After ratifying the first vote, the Assembly is submitting during Thursday night the authorization for the sale of 25 percent of the television rights. “Between the two operations we have to do at least 600 million euros,” explained the top leader, so he would be able to pay off the current debt of 600 million.
During the first speeches, former president Joan Gaspart showed his dissatisfaction with the operation, although he “likes it less” not doing it. For this reason, he went to Laporta and hopes that tomorrow he can call Tebas and tell him to “be calm, not to worry and forget about us, for that alone it is worth it,” he said.
Also, Gaspart mentioned that the famous lever is not cheap. “It is a sporting lever. Mateu Alemany and Xavi must have the means to sign a team, renew players that we cannot do without this lever. Now there are no excuses, we need it to make a more competitive club” he pointed out.