OLYMPIA'S NEW ERA
In April it was announced that Olympia London had been sold in a colossal £296m deal, EN sits down with the venue’s MD Nigel Nathan to learn more.
Ajoint venture of institutional investors, led and advised by Deutsche Finance International (DFI), a global investment firm and part of the Deutsche Finance Group, and Yoo Capital (YC), announced the acquisition of Olympia London in April.
The historic 130-year old exhibition and events business, which is situated on a 14-acre site in West London and welcomes around 1.6m annually, was sold for £296m.
In an exclusive interview, EN catches up with Olympia London managing director Nigel Nathan to learn more about the historic deal.
Why was the venue sold, and why now?
Capco purchased the Earls Court & Olympia Group with the primary focus to redevelop Earls Court. They invested more than £30m into the venue over the past 10 years—facilitating the successful transfer of 85 per cent of Earl’s Court’s business.
With this period of transition completed, the time was right for Capco to shift their focus back to their core business, so it came as no great surprise that they looked to sell.
They conducted a sales process that was both careful and considered in order to secure a new long-term partner for the venue; ensuring Olympia London’s legacy as one of the world’s most iconic event venues lives on.
