A Singapore investor is to acquire of a football-themed hotel and a restaurant from the 'Class of 92' Manchester United footballers….
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div>A Singapore investor is to acquire of a football-themed hotel and a restaurant from the ‘Class of 92’ Manchester United footballers…
Real estate company Rowsley is to purchase 75% of both Hotel Football, a 133-room boutique hotel next to Old Trafford football stadium, and Café Football, a 120-seat restaurant in east London, for a total of £29.1m.
The two businesses are currently owned by ‘Class of 92’ ex-footballers Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and brothers Gary and Philip Neville, together with Peter Lim, the controlling stakeholder.
Hotel Football opened in March 2015 and is home to the Old Trafford Supporters’ Club.
Gary Neville said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Hotel Football and the city of Manchester.”
“To be able to use and harness Rowsley’s enormous knowledge and expertise is unbelievable.
“When we dreamt of building Hotel Football, we knew exactly what we wanted it to be: a unique place where likeminded individuals could gather and Old Trafford Supporters Club (OTSC) was part of that vision.”
Café Football, in Stratford’s Westfield shopping centre, is the first in a planned chain of football-themed restaurants set to be located in future Hotel Football developments or near football clubs in the UK and around the world.
Rowsley Chief Executive Officer Lock Wai Han said: “The deal will be the first among others that will pave the way for our entry into the hotel real estate and hotel management business.”
“In hotel management, we aim to build a globally-recognised brand through management contracts with the group’s hotels as well as those outside the group.
“Hotel Football has been very well received since it opened for business in March and we look forward to building on its early success.”
The announcement follows Rowsley proposed acquisition of a 75% stake in St Michael’s development, a mixed-use project in Manchester city centre.
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