Ramsdens (RFX) agrees to GBP203 Million takeover by FirstCash

I had posted a few blog articles on buying pawn brokers Ramsdens and  FirstCash because these businesses usually do well when the gold price is high and times are hard (people need cash quickly).

Is Pawn good for you - 19th Sept 2025

Invest in Pawn (gold) - 23rd January 2026

and told you I bought £500 of RFX in my 23rd May 2026 blog

Ramsdens has just shot up 30% due to the news that FirstCash is buying Ramsdens.

Ramsdens Holdings ($RFX) agreed on the terms of a 203 million-pound recommended cash acquisition by international pawnbroking operator FirstCash, according to a Tuesday filing.

FirstCash, through its Chess Bidco subsidiary, offered 6 pounds in cash for each Ramsdens share. Including permitted dividends, the total consideration totals 206 million pounds on a fully diluted basis.

Directors of the financial services provider and retailer unanimously recommended the offer, deeming it "fair and reasonable."

The transaction is expected to take effect in the second half, subject to customary closing conditions.

I bought just £500 worth of Ramsdens (RFX). I was intending to buy more when the gold price started to show signs of recovery...

I also had a limit order to buy FirstCash (FCFS) at $210 (currently at $228) but this order has never triggered (now cancelled). 

Of course, not all my picks work out and this takeover was just luck as I had no prior knowledge. £500 is the smallest investment amount that I use, so that tells you how confident I was!

My plan is to simply hold these shares and they will eventually become FirstCash shares. This means I have effectively bought FirstCash shares at a 30% discount - funny how things work out.