Gartmore shareholders back Henderson deal

Gartmore shareholders have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the group’s takeover by Henderson Global Investors, with almost 99% of voters approving the proposals.

In a court meeting held today, 98.95% of shareholders voted in favour of the deal, valued at about £360m.

The group says 56.56% of its issued share capital was voted in favour of the resolution passed, while 0.47% was voted against. Henderson shareholders are still to vote on the takeover plans, in a general meeting to be held tomorrow.

Henderson recently announced plans to axe seven Gartmore fund managers including Leigh Himsworth, John Anderson and Dan Roberts, and merge away several Gartmore funds.

However, the Gartmore brand name will live on in its investment trust products for the foreseeable future.

Gartmore’s latest annual results show the firm suffered £7.2bn outflows 2010, compared to a net inflow of £300m in 2009.