Editing David and Frederick Barclay (section)

===Shipping===


====Ellerman Lines====
In 1983, the brothers purchased brewing and shipping group [[Ellerman Lines|Ellerman]] for £45m. They later sold its brewing division (for £240m), and in late 1985 its shipping business (to its management). The Ellerman deal helped the Barclays develop the strategy of buying companies, breaking them up and profiting from the real estate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=86636 |title=Britain's Billionaire Barclay Twins Use Stealth to Amass Empire |publisher=Mathaba.net |access-date=15 January 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620232153/http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=86636 |archive-date=20 June 2015 }}</ref> The technique of approaching an insider to obtain an advantage also set a precedent for later deals: the Barclays approached the Ellerman non-executive chairman, David Scott, at a secret meeting in Monte Carlo. Scott recalled in his memoirs that David Barclay requested an exclusive option to buy the firm, and to keep it secret from all but two directors, in return for a promise that Scott would stay on as non-executive chairman. However, moments after signing the sale document, Scott was handed a letter (by the Barclays' lawyer) demanding his immediate resignation on grounds that he had been indiscreet about the offer.<ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/02/01/hollinger-pursuers-show-skills/ "Dealmaking Barclays accustomed to getting their way"], articles.chicagotribune.com, 1 February 2004.</ref>