Online mogul Matt Moulding was under pressure last night to clarify comments after he appeared to suggest that he may take The Hut Group private.
The MyProtein to LookFantastic entrepreneur admitted in an interview he had been blindsided by a 70 per cent plummet in the share price that has wiped almost £6 billion off THG’s value in two months – describing it as ‘a sh*tty time’.
Unhappy: Matt Moulding bemoaned last year’s London IPO as a ‘mistake’ and said he wished he had chosen the US instead
But he went on to suggest he had ‘options’ as a ‘big shareholder’ who owns more than half the business when combined with ‘a few people that I’m close with’.
Moulding bemoaned last year’s London IPO as a ‘mistake’ and said he wished he had chosen the US instead. He also doubled down on laying the blame for the share price crash on short sellers, likening them to bank robbers.
Despite Moulding’s claim, THG is currently only the 109th most shorted share on the London Stock Exchange. The explosive interview with GQ magazine, also reported by the The Times newspaper yesterday, highlighted the comments about a possible buyout.
A spokesman for THG last night declined to provide further information. However, it may be forced to do so if City regulators deem it necessary or if the share price rises sharply tomorrow.
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