Latest news with #JeremyHosking
The Guardian
03-08-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
‘Just ticking away in the background': old Euston departures board lives on in millionaire's Margate warehouse
In a cavernous concrete warehouse on an industrial estate outside Margate in Kent, an enormous screen flickers, day and night, telling the times of train services from north London to Manchester Piccadilly and Glasgow Central and Tring. Whether or not anyone is there to see it, the 22-metre-wide board never stops flashing up live, genuine updates of departures by West Midlands Railway or service disruptions on Avanti West Coast services. This, until recently, was the main departure board of Euston station, one of the capital's busiest mainline railway hubs. And although it now hangs 80 miles from its original home, where no one has any ability to jump on a train to Watford Junction or anywhere else, it is still plugged into the national network and doing its old job, like a nostalgic retiree unable to let go. It's a surreal sight in an eccentric place – part storage facility, part private museum – which is home to a collection of trains, models and memorabilia now in the care of the multimillionaire asset manager, rightwing political donor and self-confessed railway nut Jeremy Hosking. As well as restoring and giving a home to old locomotives, carriages and scale models, Hosking part-owns Crystal Palace football team, a luxury hotel in Sussex and Britain's only private train (even the royal family don't own theirs). In addition, he has invested more than £100m in fossil fuel interests, was the sole funder of Laurence Fox's Reclaim party, and this week confirmed he was backing a £100m bid to buy the Daily Telegraph. It's quite the investment portfolio. Given his lifelong love of trains – which he calls 'childhood obsession meets midlife crisis' – and deep pockets, Hosking was an obvious person to approach to take the 25-year-old Euston board when it was replaced by Network Rail in 2022. Unlike several museums, he said yes. But his offer to house it was, it transpires, based on a major misunderstanding. The businessman revealed to the Guardian that he thought he was getting the original, analogue 1960s display board, which operated on the clacking 'split flap' mechanism once common at airports and railway stations, rather than a 20-year-old board with LED lights. 'It still wouldn't have been an antique, but it would have been the authentic, late 60s, white-hot technology of its day,' said Hosking. 'And actually, what we've got is the white-hot technology of 2003.' Was that a disappointment? 'To have given house room to the wrong departure board? Yes! But hopefully in decades to come, people will come to regard this board in a similar way,' he said. He may be right, given the vexed saga of Euston's departure displays since. The board's removal was part of a plan to address overcrowding at the notoriously dysfunctional station, but its replacement by multiple smaller information points – and one huge advertising board – caused such fury that it prompted the then transport secretary, Louise Haigh, to demand the changes be reversed. No such drama in Margate, where the departures board now hangs quietly above a collection that includes multiple steam and electric locomotives, the 1830s Broadstairs horse-drawn mail coach, an original 1990s Channel tunnel train, complete with onboard Passport Office facilities that were never used, and an exquisite art deco 'Beavertail' observation car commissioned to mark the 1937 coronation of George VI. The Margate warehouse was previously a storage space for the model train manufacturer Hornby, which operates a small visitor attraction from its former factory next door. Though Hosking has spent huge sums to make his site fully accessible to visitors, there are no current plans to open it to the public regularly, according to Frank Martin, the former Hornby CEO who now runs the businessman's Locomotive Services Group, which also operates a number of heritage lines around the country. Next weekend, however, both will open their doors for a weekend marking the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, and visitors can, if they wish, relive the experience of pacing in front of the Euston board harrumphing over delays at Crewe. It is left to flicker constantly with live information, said Martin, 'because every time you switch it off and switch it on again, you stress the electrical components. So in order to keep it running for the longest possible time, it's better to leave it switched on, just ticking away in the background.' The fact that it still showing live information, he said, 'means that it's been kept alive. It sounds a bit emotional, but it's been kept alive – and the alternative was for it to be scrapped and lost.'
Telegraph
31-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Former cabinet minister Zahawi pulls out of ‘British bid' for The Telegraph
The former Conservative cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi has pulled out of the 'British bid' for The Telegraph led by the publisher Dovid Efune. The decision on Saturday leaves Mr Efune with an even steeper challenge as he attempts to gatecrash the planned takeover by the US private equity firm RedBird Capital. Mr Zahawi, his family and friends accounted for £60m of the £170m of equity it is understood had been committed to the bid. Even before losing the support, the consortium may have needed to raise a further £200m from shareholders to deliver the £550m bid he made alongside Mr Zahawi and the hedge fund manager Jeremy Hosking. Mr Efune has planned to complete the offer with borrowing against The Telegraph's profits. The approach has been rejected by IMI, the United Arab Emirates state media company. It is selling The Telegraph after its own attempt to take control was blocked last year following an outcry over press freedom. That bid was made by a joint venture, RedBird IMI, in which RedBird was the junior partner having provided 25pc of the funding. Now the US private equity firm led by its founder Gerry Cardinale is in line to become the controlling shareholder in The Telegraph in a £500m deal. He has signalled ambitious growth and investment plans to deliver a 'global counterpunch to The New York Times' from the centre-Right of the political spectrum. Mr Cardinale is also in talks with at least three potential British minority co-investors, who include the owner of The Daily Mail, Lord Rothermere. After a proposed easing of the outright ban on foreign state shareholdings in newspapers, IMI is expected to retain a passive stake of up to 15pc. With longstanding business and political links to the UAE, it is understood that Mr Zahawi pulled out after becoming concerned at Mr Efune's handling of the bid. In recent days the publisher of the New York Sun website has sought to cast his approach as more British than RedBird's and sought to cast doubt on its sources of funding and ability to run The Telegraph successfully. IMI has come out in public support of Mr Cardinale's bid, however, and it has been unclear how Mr Efune expects to disrupt their agreement in principle. Mr Cardinale has said none of RedBird's funding for the deal is drawn from sovereign wealth. Mr Zahawi, who was Covid vaccines minister and briefly Chancellor, has played a significant role in the two-year saga over the ownership of The Telegraph. A friend of both the Barclay family, the previous owners, and senior figures in the UAE, he was part of setting up a complex debt repayment deal that was intended to deliver the company into the hands of RedBird IMI. It included a £600m linked to the Barclay family's online shopping business Very, which saw Mr Zahawi become chairman. Despite the failure of RedBird IMI's takeover of The Telegraph, he has persistently sought a role in its future. In recent months he has sought to put together a new bid that would help the UAE recoup its outlay. It is understood Mr Cardinale does not intend to involve Mr Zahawi. Mr Efune was unavailable for comment. In his most recent statements on the bid he said was confident he would be able to announce more investors soon. Mr Zahawi declined to comment.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘British bidder' for Telegraph vows to fight on
The leader of a bid to disrupt the £500m sale of The Telegraph to a consortium led by RedBird Capital Partners has vowed to fight 'to the very end'. Dovid Efune, the publisher of The New York Sun website, made an appearance on Sky News on Sunday to insist that his 'British bid for The Telegraph is alive and well, and not going anywhere'. Mr Efune has secured financial backing from the hedge fund manager Jeremy Hosking and Nadhim Zahawi, the former cabinet minister. They are attempting to contrast their Britishness with RedBird, an American private equity firm which is seeking to acquire The Telegraph alongside British minority investors. Mr Efune faces a steep challenge. On Friday RedBird announced an agreement in principle to take majority ownership of The Telegraph from IMI, the UAE's media investment arm. The British-born publisher said: 'What's been announced is an agreement in principle. And if the history of The Telegraph's ownership saga teaches us anything, it's that the ownership of The Telegraph and, frankly, any other crown jewel of British public life, will not be determined by means of a press release. 'The British public will yet have their say via their elected representatives, The Telegraph's staff and The Telegraph's readers will have their say, as will the rest of the British press.' RedBird IMI, a joint venture between RedBird and the UAE, majority funded by the Gulf state, was blocked from taking full control of The Telegraph last year following an outcry over press freedom. Now, RedBird's founder Gerry Cardinale is working to make RedBird the controlling shareholder, with IMI expected to retain a passive stake of up to 15pc. Mr Efune said: 'There are quite a lot of questions surrounding RedBird themselves, obviously – where does their capital come from?' Mr Cardinale, who also controls AC Milan and is set to become a major shareholder in the Hollywood studio Paramount, has said none of the money that RedBird will use to acquire The Telegraph will be drawn from sovereign sources. Mr Efune added: 'I suspect that because of all of these questions that surround it, there will need to be a public interest intervention, likely an in-depth investigation, which means the saga of The Telegraph could take another year to resolve.' Enders Analysis, a media industry research firm, said last week that Mr Cardinale's status as a newcomer to news publishing meant the regulatory process could be smooth and complete by September. The potential involvement of Lord Rothermere, the owner of The Daily Mail, as a minority shareholder alongside RedBird could complicate matters. But it is unclear how in practice Mr Efune hopes to disrupt the sale. IMI has publicly endorsed RedBird's planned takeover of The Telegraph, saying it will 'secure its future and enable it to thrive for years to come'. Mr Efune, who prior to acquiring the defunct New York Sun and reviving it as a subscription website was the publisher of Algemeiner, a Jewish community newspaper, has shown great persistence in his pursuit of The Telegraph, however. He emerged as the winner of an auction back in early October last year, but has struggled since to raise the necessary funds. Even now, by his own account Mr Efune's consortium has only 'the bulk' of the capital, although he has said he remains in talks with potential backers. His 11th-hour appeal for more time has come wrapped in the Union flag. He said: 'At the end of the day, I expect that most Britons would want to see The Telegraph in British hands should there be a choice – and there is a choice, a clear choice, and we are 100pc committed to seeing it through.' The approach won rhetorical support this weekend from Lord Ashcroft, the Conservative donor and publisher. In a post on X he said Mr Efune was 'seeking British investors for an alternative to foreign ownership … I wish him well'. Mr Efune has not said whether he envisages the UAE retaining a stake and has not always been so focused on securing British finance. He initially sought to raise funding from American hedge funds. They all declined to invest in his proposed deal after he was named preferred bidder. In November it was reported that Sir Mohamed Mansour, the Egyptian-born billionaire and former Conservative party treasurer, was in advanced discussions to bankroll the bid. A former minister under the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak, Sir Mohamed ruled out participating, following questions from The Telegraph. They covered topics including the regulatory scrutiny his political past and business interest might face. Mr Efune then turned to Leon Black, the billionaire former boss of the Wall Street giant Apollo Global Management. Mr Black pulled out of detailed discussions to back the bid after The Telegraph asked questions about potential regulatory scrutiny of his regrettable relationship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, and legal problems related to it. These incidents appear to have frustrated Mr Efune, who on Friday complained that the 'turbulent undertaking' of raising finance had faced 'unwanted interference'. One possible tactic for Mr Efune's consortium is a legal challenge against the Government's handling of The Telegraph if and when it decides to approve the RedBird takeover. Mr Hosking is said by those who have worked directly with him to have an unusually strong appetite for litigation. Sign in to access your portfolio
Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
‘British bidder' for Telegraph vows to fight on
The leader of a bid to disrupt the £500m sale of The Telegraph to a consortium led by RedBird Capital Partners has vowed to fight 'to the very end'. Dovid Efune, the publisher of The New York Sun website, made an appearance on Sky News on Sunday to insist that his 'British bid for The Telegraph is alive and well, and not going anywhere'. Mr Efune has secured financial backing from the hedge fund manager Jeremy Hosking and Nadhim Zahawi, the former cabinet minister. They are attempting to contrast their Britishness with RedBird, an American private equity firm which is seeking to acquire The Telegraph alongside British minority investors. Mr Efune faces a steep challenge. On Friday RedBird announced an agreement in principle to take majority ownership of The Telegraph from IMI, the UAE's media investment arm. The British-born publisher said: 'What's been announced is an agreement in principle. And if the history of The Telegraph's ownership saga teaches us anything, it's that the ownership of The Telegraph and, frankly, any other crown jewel of British public life, will not be determined by means of a press release. 'The British public will yet have their say via their elected representatives, The Telegraph's staff and The Telegraph's readers will have their say, as will the rest of the British press.' RedBird IMI, a joint venture between RedBird and the UAE, majority funded by the Gulf state, was blocked from taking full control of The Telegraph last year following an outcry over press freedom. Now, RedBird's founder Gerry Cardinale is working to make RedBird the controlling shareholder, with IMI expected to retain a passive stake of up to 15pc. Mr Efune said: 'There are quite a lot of questions surrounding RedBird themselves, obviously – where does their capital come from?' Mr Cardinale, who also controls AC Milan and is set to become a major shareholder in the Hollywood studio Paramount, has said none of the money that RedBird will use to acquire The Telegraph will be drawn from sovereign sources. Mr Efune added: 'I suspect that because of all of these questions that surround it, there will need to be a public interest intervention, likely an in-depth investigation, which means the saga of The Telegraph could take another year to resolve.' Enders Analysis, a media industry research firm, said last week that Mr Cardinale's status as a newcomer to news publishing meant the regulatory process could be smooth and complete by September. The potential involvement of Lord Rothermere, the owner of The Daily Mail, as a minority shareholder alongside RedBird could complicate matters. But it is unclear how in practice Mr Efune hopes to disrupt the sale. IMI has publicly endorsed RedBird's planned takeover of The Telegraph, saying it will 'secure its future and enable it to thrive for years to come'. Mr Efune, who prior to acquiring the defunct New York Sun and reviving it as a subscription website was the publisher of Algemeiner, a Jewish community newspaper, has shown great persistence in his pursuit of The Telegraph, however. He emerged as the winner of an auction back in early October last year, but has struggled since to raise the necessary funds. Even now, by his own account Mr Efune's consortium has only 'the bulk' of the capital, although he has said he remains in talks with potential backers. His 11th-hour appeal for more time has come wrapped in the Union flag. He said: 'At the end of the day, I expect that most Britons would want to see The Telegraph in British hands should there be a choice – and there is a choice, a clear choice, and we are 100pc committed to seeing it through.' The approach won rhetorical support this weekend from Lord Ashcroft, the Conservative donor and publisher. In a post on X he said Mr Efune was 'seeking British investors for an alternative to foreign ownership … I wish him well'. Mr Efune has not said whether he envisages the UAE retaining a stake and has not always been so focused on securing British finance. He initially sought to raise funding from American hedge funds. They all declined to invest in his proposed deal after he was named preferred bidder. In November it was reported that Sir Mohamed Mansour, the Egyptian-born billionaire and former Conservative party treasurer, was in advanced discussions to bankroll the bid. A former minister under the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak, Sir Mohamed ruled out participating, following questions from The Telegraph. They covered topics including the regulatory scrutiny his political past and business interest might face. Mr Efune then turned to Leon Black, the billionaire former boss of the Wall Street giant Apollo Global Management. Mr Black pulled out of detailed discussions to back the bid after The Telegraph asked questions about potential regulatory scrutiny of his regrettable relationship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, and legal problems related to it. These incidents appear to have frustrated Mr Efune, who on Friday complained that the 'turbulent undertaking' of raising finance had faced 'unwanted interference'. One possible tactic for Mr Efune's consortium is a legal challenge against the Government's handling of The Telegraph if and when it decides to approve the RedBird takeover. Mr Hosking is said by those who have worked directly with him to have an unusually strong appetite for litigation.
Sky News
23-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Thwarted Telegraph suitor Efune says 'British bid is best'
The British-born newspaper-owner whose takeover of The Daily Telegraph appears to have been thwarted by a £500m deal with RedBird Capital Partners has called on the title's stakeholders to rally behind his bid instead. In an opinion piece to be published later on Friday, Dovid Efune, publisher of The New York Sun, will say that his offer is "now within sight of the finish line, with the bulk of the needed funding committed". Mr Efune has been assembling a bid for the right-leaning newspapers for months, with a series of funding options having been explored. He now has backing from Nadhim Zahawi, the former Conservative Cabinet minister whose interest in the Telegraph was revealed last year by Sky News, and Jeremy Hosking, a prominent and wealthy City investor. In his opinion piece, Mr Efune described the Telegraph as a "crown jewel", adding that British journalism was the envy of the world. "It is no coincidence that a meaningful portion of America's largest newsrooms are run by British journalists," he wrote in a piece shared exclusively with Sky News. "These include the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and CNN. "You might say that journalists, editors and journalism writ large are among Britain's greatest exports." Referring to the Barclay family, which owned the Telegraph for about two decades, Mr Efune said the newspapers had "functioned as something of a piggy bank for its previous owners, and as a useful form of real estate collateral". "The Telegraph's achievements and advancements despite these handicaps are impressive. But it deserves better," he wrote. Mr Efune said the £500m RedBird takeover - which is likely to involve minority ownership stakes for Abu Dhabi state-backed IMI and Lord Rothermere, the Daily Mail proprietor - had "significant hurdles to overcome". "Since The Telegraph first came on the market I've dedicated much time and resources to finding a solution," he said. "Some details of these efforts have become public. Much has not. "In particular, I've sought to recruit the best-suited investor group to step into the fray. "That means fully aligned partners, committed to the work of unlocking The Telegraph's significant potential." He described the process as "a turbulent undertaking" which had "faced unwelcome interference along the way". "Our group is unique in that, firstly, it is distinctly British, with, as of this moment, the leadership and vast majority of funders being British citizens. "I, for one, was born in Manchester and raised in Brighton. "My family owes a great debt of gratitude to this country. "My grandmother was saved by Britain's grace and welcome at the age of nine, fleeing Nazi Germany on the Kindertransport." Mr Efune said his family had made a significant contribution to the UK, with his grandfather, Peter Kalms, helping to build the electrical goods retailer Dixons into a household name. "My great uncle Michael was killed as a tail-gunner in a Lancaster Bomber over Germany. Mr Efune described his backers as "accomplished British patriots who care deeply about The Telegraph's future". "Our acquisition group is also distinctly devoted to journalism," he wrote. "We don't come with a team of financial engineers or restructuring gurus. "We're seasoned and committed newspaper builders, and have a detailed and clear vision for The Telegraph's growth. We will pursue it vigorously. "This includes specific and in some cases significant improvement strategies on the nuts and bolts of each of the primary revenue pillars of the business. "In our view, the oft-heard moniker "Torygraph" far undersells this opportunity. "In its soul, the paper that braved the Blitz and trumpeted the wartime speeches of Churchill bears a far higher calling. "It is independent, pugnacious, meticulous, unapologetic and free. "It is the journalistic bulwark of Western civilization and a living reminder of Britain's great gifts to humanity. Mr Efune added that in a world characterised by turbulent geopolitics, "the need for The Telegraph's elevation couldn't be greater". "Many beacons of the Western press have dimmed, and we are all poorer as a result. "The Telegraph's time is now. Its horizons are endless.
