Tracing lost Shares

HuniB123

Hi all
I'm wondering if someone can help as I'm drawing a blank.
My dad died 25 years ago and he had shares in Pleasurama/Associated Leisure (now Rank Group/Mecca I believe)

These shares were forgotten about until recently but here's my problem, I cant seem to trace them anywhere. I have old tax vouchers and a few other bits of info but no share certificate number etc.

I have been in touch with Equiniti (sending the paperwork I have) but they have no record of my dad or the shares. They advised me to get in touch with Link Asset Services which I did but they say they have never heard of Pleasurama or Associated Leisure.

Help?! Anyone know where I can obtain info please as to said shares? Thanks in advance

DrSyn

Would this be of any help?

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/00812492

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/search?q=Pleasurama

Not good news looks like they both no longer around.

HuniB123

Thanks its Pleasurama PLC it was dissolved after it was sold but it's actually tracing who now holds these shares if that makes sense and how do I trace them back to my dad.
Unfortunately Equiniti haven’t been going that long so they don’t have a paper trail or records.....I need to find out where these shares are now, who would have them registered

wmb194

What were the terms of the Mecca/Pleasurama deal? E.g., if it was all cash then he would have been bought out and would have no longer been a shareholder. If it was all or part shares he would have become a shareholder in Mecca and then, if this were the case, what were the terms of the Rank/Mecca deal a year or so later? It was so long ago (1988 and 1989) that Google isn't giving me the answer easily.

HuniB123

wmb194 wrote: »

What were the terms of the Mecca/Pleasurama deal? E.g., if it was all cash then he would have been bought out and would have no longer been a shareholder. If it was all or part shares he would have become a shareholder in Mecca and then, if this were the case, what were the terms of the Rank/Mecca deal a year or so later? It was so long ago (1988 and 1989) that Google isn't giving me the answer easily.

All I do know is that in 1987/1988 my dads shares increased from 500 to 1000 as I have the tax voucher indicating that.
In 1991 my dad went into a home with early onset dementia. So nothing has come happened with the shares or dividends since (which I know hasn’t helped my search)

DrSyn

wmb194 wrote: »

What were the terms of the Mecca/Pleasurama deal? E.g., if it was all cash then he would have been bought out and would have no longer been a shareholder. If it was all or part shares he would have become a shareholder in Mecca and then, if this were the case, what were the terms of the Rank/Mecca deal a year or so later? It was so long ago (1988 and 1989) that Google isn't giving me the answer easily.

If Pleasurama was taken over by MECCA LEISURE HOLIDAYS LIMITED and your father given some of there shares (maybe the 500 to 1000), then the bad news continues.

MECCA LEISURE HOLIDAYS LIMITED itself was dissolved on 30 June 2015.

Seems they where insolvent:-
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/00282590/insolvency

Maybe that is the reason no dividends have appeared?

Chino

DrSyn wrote: »

If Pleasurama was taken over by MECCA LEISURE HOLIDAYS LIMITED

It wasn't; it was acquired by Mecca Leisure Group plc:
Full accounts made up to 31 December 1988

According to Wikipedia, Mecca Leisure Group plc was acquired by The Rank Organisation which, in turn, was acquired by The Rank Group plc. Which, I see, is where the OP started from!

wmb194

No, even without him doing anything, something will definitely have happened to them. If they weren't sold or transferred to someone else I think they should have become Rank Group shares (see below).

Do you have any evidence of any Mecca and/or Rank holdings? Perhaps Rank Organisation or Group shares formed part of his estate and were sold or transferred into someone else's name? If he went into a home in 1991 then there would have been plenty of time to have them ultimately converted into Rank Organisation shares and might explain the missing certificate(s).

Through all-share transactions, the progression seems to have been Pleasurama - Mecca (1988) - Rank Organisation (1989) - Rank Group (1995, some kind of reorganisation but I cannot find the detail).

It doesn't really matter but apparently Pleasurama had a rights issue in 1988 so that might explain the increased number of shares if he took this up.

According to extracts from the FT that I've found at archive dot org, it seems the offer from Mecca was an all share bid where Pleasurama shareholders would own 75% of the combined group.

Then the terms of Rank Organisation's all-share takeover of Mecca in 1989 were one Rank share for every nine Mecca.

DrSyn

Have a look down these:-
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/search?q=The+Rank+Organisation


If you take a XRO Limited it looks like a previous name was THE RANK ORGANISATION but appears it to be a Dormant Company:-

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/00324504


There is a Rank Group PLC which was incorporated on 22 Dec 1995
which at least matches the date of the reorganisation mentioned in post 8 and it is still in business:-

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03140769

HuniB123

wmb194 wrote: »

No, even without him doing anything, something will definitely have happened to them. If they weren't sold or transferred to someone else I think they should have become Rank Group shares (see below).

Do you have any evidence of any Mecca and/or Rank holdings? Perhaps Rank Organisation or Group shares formed part of his estate and were sold or transferred into someone else's name? If he went into a home in 1991 then there would have been plenty of time to have them ultimately converted into Rank Organisation shares and might explain the missing certificate(s).

Through all-share transactions, the progression seems to have been Pleasurama - Mecca (1988) - Rank Organisation (1989) - Rank Group (1995, some kind of reorganisation but I cannot find the detail).

It doesn't really matter but apparently Pleasurama had a rights issue in 1988 so that might explain the increased number of shares if he took this up.

According to extracts from the FT that I've found at archive dot org, it seems the offer from Mecca was an all share bid where Pleasurama shareholders would own 75% of the combined group.

Then the terms of Rank Organisation's all-share takeover of Mecca in 1989 were one Rank share for every nine Mecca.

Thank you for all the info, really appreciate it. I had power of attorney once my dad fell Ill and went in to a home. We moved him out of his own home and basically any few bits of paperwork were packed away. There wasnt much and the paperwork put in storage after he died. As I said forgotten about.until recently. So I know the shares weren't sold.

Only trouble is its historic and I don't know who to contact to actually find details of where these shares are now. Equiniti are the registrar for Rank but don't have my dads details on file as it's so long ago and they've only been Equiniti for around 10 years.

Looking at the Rank site, it says that any share queries should be directed to Equiniti, which doesn't help....I'm at a loss as to how to trace them.

Originally I was told by Equiniti if I had the tax vouchers my dad shares could be traced via the info on there. However after sending the paperwork off it was returned to me just saying contact Link Assets, no reason why. So I'm back to square one again.

Contacted Link as I said and they said they've never heard of Pleasurama and to contact Equiniti again so round in circles I go.

sassy_one

They've gone, long gone.

You are searching for a needle in a hay stack.

Forget about it.