A Goldman Sachs Group Inc.-led group offered ¥111.2 billion to take over USJ Co., the operator of the Universal Studios Japan theme park that's losing customers as the economy contracts.
Goldman, which aims to boost its stake in Osaka-based USJ to 61.2 percent, and investors including MBK Partners bid ¥50,000 a share, they said in a statement Thursday. That's 23 percent more than the stock's closing price Thursday in Tokyo.
New York-based Goldman, which owns 41 percent of USJ, and the investors are seeking to purchase the remainder of the company.
Goldman, the world's biggest and most profitable securities firm until it converted to a bank holding company, invested ¥20 billion in Universal Studios Japan in 2005. The attraction was losing money and visitors after health authorities cited the theme park for food that had passed its expiration date and tainted drinking water.
USJ attendance will be about 8.6 million for the year that ends March 31, down from 9.9 million five years earlier, spokesman Johta Takahashi said.
USJ, which opened in 2001, reported net income of ¥4.13 billion for the six months that ended Sept. 30 on sales of ¥34.33 billion, after introducing new characters, including Sanrio Co.'s cartoon cat Hello Kitty.
