Lastminute tight-lipped on O2 Arena lawsuit reports

Lastminute.com has declined to comment on reports it is being sued by the firm that operates the O2 arena in London over ticket sales. It is alleged that lastminute.com sold too few tickets for events and wrongly claimed it had terminated an agreement with Ansco Arena, the AEG subsidiary which operates the venue. In a…

Lastminute.com has declined to comment on reports it is being sued by the firm that operates the O2 arena in London over ticket sales.

It is alleged that lastminute.com sold too few tickets for events and wrongly claimed it had terminated an agreement with Ansco Arena, the AEG subsidiary which operates the venue.

In a High Court writ against the online travel company, Ansco is claiming £320,688 in fees plus compensation.

The dispute centres on a sponsorship agreement signed in March 2009 which gave lastminute.com advertising and marketing rights and the right to become the O2’s official hotel booking partner The Sunday Telegraph reported.

As part of the deal, the website had the right to sell tickets to concerts and events, in return for £500,000 a year as part of a five-year agreement. However,

Ansco alleges lastminute.com failed to sell enough tickets, selling for example 639 tickets out of 59,700 available in the first four months of this year, during which time acts appearing at the O2 included Westlife and The X-Factor Live tour.

Lastminute.com tried to end the agreement from March 31, but Ansco claims it continued until August 11 this year.

A lastminute.com spokesman told the newspaper: “We are no longer in a contract with the O2 but we are continuing discussions with them so we can’t make any further comment.”