Shamrock Holdings

Shamrock Holdings, Inc.

Shamrock Holdings logo
Type	Private corporation
Industry	Holding company
Founded	1978
Founder	Roy E. Disney
Headquarters	Burbank
Owner	Roy E. Disney family
Subsidiaries	Shamrock Holdings of California
Website	shamrock.com

Shamrock Holdings is the firm founded as the Roy E. Disney family investment firm and the Disney family remains a key investor. Roy was its chairman, and Stanley Gold its President/CEO. Shamrock owns a number of assets including hotels and radio and television stations. Shamrock often takes an aggressive strategy, launching hostile takeovers.

Shamrock is a private corporation, owned 100% by the estate of Roy E. Disney.

Shamrock Holdings Inc. was founded in 1978 as an investment company by Roy E. Disney. Shamrock then started buying television and radio stations. In the mid-1980s, SH moved into other industries. According to Reuters, in 1984 Shamrock held 1,428,061 (or just over 4%) of all Disney stock.

After revealing that the company held 4.7% of Central Soya and agreements with two investment groups for another 5.9% in March 1985, the company offered to purchase the remaining shares with equity partners. SH closed on the purchase of Central Soya. In November, Shamrock began construction on Shamrock Plaza office building in Agoura Hills estimated to cost $5.1 million.

In March 1986, Shamrock sold 1.6 million shares of the Walt Disney Co. on the open market dropping its share from 4% to 3% for tax planning and further business needs. In April 1987 its subsidiary, Shamrock Holdings of California purchased controlling interest in DBMS Inc. of Naperville, Ill., a software systems and services company. After the management team of Holly Sugar submitted a plan to take the company private, two share holders Shamrock (5.5%) and Brookehill Equities (11.8%) filed separately with the SEC with the intent to possible make a counter offer. In fall 1987, Central Soya, a soybean processor, was sold by Shamrock to Ferruzzi Group of Italy making a profit of $125 million. In December 1987, the corporation attempted a buy out of Wherehouse Entertainment, who avoid the take over by agreeing to be bought by Adler & Shaykin, a New York investment firm. Instead Shamrock purchased Music Plus from Show Industries in April 1988 to begin its move into home entertainment retailing.

In 1988 and 1989, it pursued Polaroid, ultimately failing to take over the company but winning concessions such as an advertising deal for its television stations.

SH agreed in January 1990 to sell radio station KMGC-FM to Cooke Inlet Radio Partners for $22 million. In September 1991, Shamrock sold its remaining 11.8% share in Enterra for about $46.8 million.