The Melbourne stockbroker – who helped broker the Van Dieman’s Land Company (VDL) deal for OnCard International – said the purchase marked a sea-change for Australian investors.
OnCard will pay $250 million for VDL, after being accepted as the chosen bidder by parent company Taranki Invesment Management Limited (TIML).
Wilson HTM broker Hugh Robertson said Australian investors were finally realising there was value in agriculture.
““I have been a broker for 35 years and it is a game changer, in some ways – interest has been growing, as shown by Select Harvest and Bellamy’s,” Mr Robertson said.
“It is pretty much a list of Sydney investment management, no foreign investors, of any note.
“The New Zealanders have done a very good job and what (investors) could all see was the branding potential – the pedigree of people running VDL is very high and – like most things in business – this was probably the clincher.”
Investors were also intrigued by the fact the 190 year old business had never been owned by Australians, or run by Tasmanians.
