Frasers builds stake in Burberry to become third largest shareholder

July 28 (Reuters) - British retailer Frasers has disclosed a 4.16% exposure in Burberry Group, a regulatory filing from the UK-based luxury brand showed on Tuesday.

The FTSE 250 retailer has steadily expanded its financial interest in Burberry in recent days, increasing its stake from 3.05% as of July 24 by building a larger position in sold put options linked to its shares.

Here are some more details: 

• Frasers did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

• The sports retailer, controlled by billionaire Mike Ashley, holds the entire position through sold put options rather than direct shareholding, representing 15 million voting rights in the British luxury brand.

• The retail conglomerate is set to become the third largest shareholder in Burberry, behind MFS Investment and BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Ltd, according to LSEG data.

• Earlier this month, Frasers withheld its fiscal 2027 outlook, citing ongoing takeover bids for German fashion house Hugo Boss and Australian footwear chain Accent, making it difficult to forecast the year ahead.

• A day later, Burberry said the Middle East conflict was hurting tourist spending in Europe, even though sales in its April-June quarter were strong in the U.S. and China.

• Shares of Burberry finished the session around 5% higher, while Frasers closed up 2.50%.

(Reporting by Rishab Shaju in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)