Wadworth taps broader capital pool with inaugural PISCES auction on Asset Match
Founded in Devizes in 1875, Wadworth is one of Britain's longest-established independent brewers and pub operators, with a heritage spanning more than 150 years and an estate of over 140 pubs across the South and West of England. The Company's principal activities include the brewing and packaging of beers, the wholesaling and retailing of beers, ciders, wines, spirits and minerals, together with the ownership and management of licensed properties. Wadworth is best known for its 6X amber ale, which it has brewed for over 100 years, as well as its Swordfish rum-infused and Horizon golden ales.
Wadworth has traded its A Ordinary Shares through quarterly auctions on the Asset Match platform since February 2023, with more than 300,000 shares traded to date. Its move to the Asset Match Private Market marks a significant milestone and represents the first opportunity for shares in Wadworth to be made available to a broader pool of eligible investors through an extended trading event.
To support investor participation, independent research by Hardman & Co on Wadworth will be available throughout the auction period, providing detailed analysis of the Company's business, operations, financial performance and long-term prospects.
The launch demonstrates the growing appeal of secondary trading opportunities in established private companies and provides investors with the opportunity to gain exposure to a well-known British business with a long history, strong regional presence and diversified operating base.
The research note on Wadworth is available https://hardmanandco.com/research/corporate-research/wad-ampx-asset-rich historic-pub-company/
Ben Weaver, Business Development Director at Asset Match, said: at: "We are delighted to unveil Wadworth as the first company to join our PISCES trading venue. As one of Britain's longest-established independent brewers and pub operators, Wadworth is a highly regarded private company with a rich heritage, a substantial pub estate and an engaged shareholder base.
"Having facilitated trading in the Company's shares since 2023, we are pleased to support this next stage in its shareholder journey. Importantly, this auction represents the first opportunity for a broader pool of eligible investors to acquire shares in Wadworth, supported by independent research that will provide additional transparency and valuable insight into the business and its long-term prospects.
"We believe there is strong investor appetite for established private companies with recognised brands, tangible assets and long-term growth potential, and we expect Wadworth's inaugural PISCES auction to attract significant interest."
Simon Townsend, Chairman of Wadworth, said: "Wadworth has been proudly independent since 1875 and has always taken a long-term approach to building the business for the benefit of our customers, employees and shareholders.
"We are really pleased to be working with Asset Match and our progression to their PISCES platform is the latest stage of our share-trading journey. Historically, the team at Asset Match has operated a restricted market in the shares, so this move provides an opportunity to broaden awareness of the Company and enable a wider pool of eligible investors to participate in Wadworth's future growth and success."
ENDS
Asset Match Hannah Woodley/Warren Won
Tavistock (PR adviser) Kuba Stawiski/Adam Baynes
About Asset Match Limited via Tavistock Tel: +44 (0) 20 7920 3150 asset match@tavistock.co.uk
Asset Match, the stock market for private companies, operates a leading online platform for trading shares in private, unquoted securities. Authorised as a PISCES operator and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Asset Match was established in 2012 and has become a trusted partner to a multitude of private companies, advisors, brokers and investors. The Asset Match model is to create secondary liquidity via periodic auctions where a live order-book is displayed throughout, and a non-discretionary algorithm creates a single clearing price. The platform has facilitated over £170m of secondary transactions since inception.
Find out more at www.assetmatch.com.
About Wadworth & Co Limited Wadworth was originally founded in the market town of Devizes in 1875 by Henry Alfred Wadworth and is an independent family business with over 150 pubs across the South and West of England. The principal activities of the Company are the brewing and packaging of beers, the wholesaling and retailing of beers, ciders and wines, spirits and minerals and the ownership and management of licensed properties.
Find out more at www.wadworth.co.uk.