In this March 6, 2007 file photo, Topps baseball cards are seen in Boston. Sports trading card company Topps is combining with a special purposes acquisition company in a deal valued at $1.3 billion and seeking a public listing. Topps Co. said Tuesday, April 6, 2021, that it will join with Mudrick Capital Acquisition Corp., which will make a $250 million investment. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki, file)
By Michelle Chapman
Sports trading card company Topps is combining with a special purposes acquisition company in a deal valued at $1.3 billion and seeking a public listing.
Topps Co. said Tuesday that it will join with Mudrick Capital Acquisition Corp., which will make a $250 million investment. Other investors include GAMCO Investors and Wells Capital Management.
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner will continue as Topps chairman. His firm, The Tornante Co., which bought Topps in 2007, will roll all of its equity into the new public company, which will keep the name Topps.
The combined company will be led by Michael Brandstaedter, president and CEO of Topps.
The news follows a spate of similar SPAC deals, including WeWork less than two weeks ago.
Topps, which sells trading cards, stickers and albums and trading card games, has numerous sports partners, including Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, UEFA, Bundesliga, the National Hockey League and Formula 1. It also has deals with Disney and World Wresting Entertainment. The 80-year-old company had sales of $567 million last year.
The deal is expected to close late in the second or early in the third quarter, subject to approval from Mudrick shareholders. It will remain listed on the Nasdaq but will have the new ticker symbol, “TOPP."
Orangetheory Fitness is redefining the future of workouts with smarter tech, strength-based programming, and community-driven studios built for what’s next.
Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but says that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to devices as the more than 30-year-old company is taken private under a restructuring process. iRobot said that it is being acquired by Picea through a court-supervised process. Picea is the company's primary contract manufacturer. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based anticipates completing the prepackaged chapter 11 process by February.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
