Real Estate Investors chief ups stake to 22%

A round-up of the biggest director deals today so far.

Real Estate Investors (REI) chief executive Paul Bassi spent £270,000 adding to his stake in the company, the property investment firm said today.

Bassi took 3m shares at 9p a go and now has more than 75m shares, or around 22% of the AIM-listed company. He bought the shares from chairman Peter Lewin, who consequently now has 5.85m shares.

Bassi has been steadily building up his stake in the West Bromwich-based firm, which invests in commercial properties in the West Midlands and elsewhere in the UK. In several transactions over the past year he has paid less each time, in line with the gradual fall in REI's share price following the onset of the credit crunch.

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Back in June 2007, he paid 12p a share for 10m shares.

Bassi is a long established Midlands based property investor. He is also a director of the Birmingham Hippodrome theatre.

Top Director Buys

Real Estate Investors (RLE)

Director name: Mr Paul Bassi

Amount purchased: 3,000,000 @ 9.00p

Value: £270,000

Africa Opportunity Fund (AOF)

Director name: Mr Robert C Knapp

Amount purchased: 260,000 @ $0.93

Value: $241,800

SABMiller (SAB)

Director name: Mr Miles Quintin Morland

Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 1,280.00p

Value: £128,000

Close Brothers Dev (CBD)

Director name: Mr Andrew Phillipps

Amount purchased: 123,000 @ 82.00p

Value: £100,860

Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG)

Director name: Mr Sean FitzPatrick

Amount purchased: 16,800 @ € 5.94

Value: € 99,792

Jardine Strategic (Singapore) (JDS)

Director name: Mr C M Allen Jones

Amount purchased: 5,000 @ $18.98

Value: $94,900

AssetCo (ASTO)

Director name: Mr Frank Flynn

Amount purchased: 25,000 @ 176.50p

Value: £44,125

Aurora Investment Trust (ARR)

Director name: Mr M J Barstow

Amount purchased: 25,000 @ 169.80p

Value: £42,450

Sportingbet (SBT)

Director name: Mr Sean O'Connor

Amount purchased: 100,000 @ 34.00p

Value: £34,000

Hutchison China Meditech (HCM)

Director name: Mr Michael Howell

Amount purchased: 25,000 @ 122.00p

Value: £30,500

Top Director Sells

Aegis Group (AGS)

Director name: Mr Jerry Buhlmann

Amount sold: 142,000 @ 123.60p

Value: £175,512

Aegis Group (AGS)

Director name: Mr Jerry Buhlmann

Amount sold: 142,000 @ 123.60p

Value: £175,512