SIR Brian Souter's investment vehicle is thought to have made tens of millions of pounds after luxury yacht maker Sunseeker International was sold to Dalian Wanda Group in a deal worth £320 million.
The Chinese conglomerate is taking a 91.81% stake in the Poole, Dorset-based yacht firm with the remainder being taken up by existing management.
Souter Investments took a significant minority stake in Sunseeker in 2010, paying £9.5m as part of a total £25m cash injection alongside Dublin's FL Partners and other UK and Irish investors.
The Scottish investment firm was the largest shareholder in Portofino Yacht Investments, which had a controlling stake in Sunseeker.
According to documents at Companies House, Souter Investments and its associated parties owned around 31% of the total number of shares issued in Portofino.
Other shareholders listed on the Portofino annual return include former Clydeport chief executive Thomas Allison – a non-executive director at Sunseeker – and golfer Rory McIlroy
Sir Brian said: "This is a welcome announcement. Sunseeker already exports nearly 100% of its yachts to many countries round the world. Wanda will be a wonderful partner, particularly in helping it unlock the substantial potential inherent in the developing Chinese boating market."
Yachts made by Sunseeker, which was founded in 1968 by Robert Braithwaite and which employs more than 2000 people, are often seen in James Bond movies and is a favourite brand among wealthy individuals including many Formula 1 drivers.
Prices starts at around £400,000 but run into several million for more advanced and bespoke models. Stewart McIntyre, managing director of Sunseeker, said: "Support from Wanda will be instrumental in enabling Sunseeker to unlock the enormous potential of China's rapidly expanding luxury yacht market."
Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin said: "Acquiring Sunseeker deepens Wanda's international influence, further enhances our position in the global luxury, entertainment and tourism markets, and represents an important step forward for the overall development of our business.
"With the committed support of Wanda, Sunseeker is well-placed to take full advantage of opportunities in China, one of the world's fastest growing luxury yacht markets. We are confident that this will bring Sunseeker's business to the next level."
The disposal is the second by Souter Investments this year after it offloaded a stake in insurer eSure.
Those deals together are thought to have netted the business more than £100 million.
Sir Brian yesterday also confirmed a further 12 million euro investment in the PolskiBus operation in Poland.
This will see 25 new double deckers, built by Belgian company Van Hool, being put into service, with each capable of carrying 89 passengers.
PolskiBus launched two years ago with 18 vehicles but will have 92 operating by the end of this year across 12 routes in 19 Polish cities as well as Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Sir Brian signalled he still saw opportunities to expand in those markets and said: "PolskiBus.com has been a tremendous success. Passengers love our prices, comfort, convenient schedules and quality service.
"We have ambitious plans for the future and will continue to expand PolskiBus.com in Poland and elsewhere in Eastern Europe."
Separately, Dalian, which was founded in 1988, is spending £700m to build a five-star 160-room hotel and apartments on the South Bank in London, which will be its first such venture outside China.
The project, in conjunction with Green Property, has already received full planning consent and the backing of London Mayor Boris Johnson.
In China, it runs 814 cinema screens, 46 department stores, 51 karaoke outlets and 34 five-star hotels.
In May last year, Dalian bought US cinema chain AMC in a $2.6 billion (£1.6bn) deal.
Souter Investments has stakes in businesses including biofuel firm Argent Energy and Falkirk-based bus builder Alexander Dennis, plus ferry operators Istanbul Deniz Otonuslen in Turkey and Fullers in New Zealand.
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