Ramsdens Holdings (AIM:RFX), the AIM-listed UK pawnbroking and financial services retailer, has agreed to be bought for £203 million by FirstCash Holdings, the Nasdaq-listed pawnbroking operator with a market capitalisation exceeding $10 billion.
The announcement does not disclose the offer price, but Ramsdens directors, advised by Cavendish, have declared the financial terms fair and reasonable.
FirstCash entered the UK market in 2025 through its acquisition of H&T, and the Ramsdens deal represents a second move to consolidate its position in Britain, adding 174 stores across England, Scotland and Wales to its network of more than 3,300 locations in the US and Latin America.
Ramsdens operates across jewellery retail, precious metals buying, foreign currency exchange and pawnbroking, serving customers with access to traditional banking services, and its board acknowledged that recent earnings have been materially supported by elevated gold prices, which peaked above $5,500 per ounce intraday on 28 January.
Completion is conditional on FCA change-in-control clearance, CMA approval and court sanction of the scheme, with the acquisition expected to become effective in the second half of 2026.
"I am exceptionally proud of the Group's transformational growth since our IPO on AIM in February 2017," said Ramsdens CEO Peter Kenyon, noting the addition of 50 stores and more than 300 jobs since listing.
