Darley Butler buys 10% stake in York Arcade for Rs. 198 m

Monday, 26 January 2026 05:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Darley Butler & Co. Ltd., has increased its stake in York Arcade Holdings PLC to 10.6% following a market purchase of 15 million shares totalling Rs. 198 million.

Darley Butler purchased 10 million shares at Rs. 13 per share and a further 5 million shares at Rs. 13.60 per share on Friday (23). The transactions represent 10% of the issued share capital of York Arcade Holdings PLC. As a result of the purchase, Darley Butler’s total shareholding in York Arcade Holdings PLC has increased to 15.9 million shares, equivalent to 10.6% of the company’s issued shares.

Prior to the transaction, Darley Butler held 900,000 shares in York Arcade Holdings PLC, representing 0.6% of the total shareholding.

York Arcade shares closed Friday Rs. 1 on the up at Rs. 13.30.

Darley Butler is a subsidiary of E.B. Creasy & Company PLC, a major shareholder of which is The Colombo Fort Land & Building PLC.

In November 2025, Lankem Ceylon PLC acquired a 50.15% stake in York Arcade Holdings PLC from its parent company, The Colombo Fort Land & Building PLC, and a related company, with prices ranging between Rs. 882.75 and Rs. 921.75 per share.

Prior to that deal, The Colombo Fort Land & Building was the top shareholder as of end-September 2025 with a 49.27% stake, followed by S.M.D.N. Banda (8.94%) and A.M. Weerasinghe (5.18%).

The company reported net assets of Rs. 304.21 per share in the quarter. The highest traded price that quarter was Rs. 278 and the lowest was Rs. 161.25, with the last traded price reported at Rs. 249.

In December 2025, the company announced a 1:200 share split, increasing the number of issued shares from 750,000 to 150 million, without any change to the stated capital, which remained at Rs. 14.4 million. This broadly explains the current price levels.