Vodafone confirms talks with Liberty global but rules out merger June 5, 2015 Vodafone today confirmed it's in early stage discussions with Liberty Global over a possible asset swap, although it quashed speculation surrounding a potential a merger between the two telecoms giants. The announcement followed media reports that the British telecoms giant had entered into informal talks with the US cable giant. Vodafone's share price fell 2.2 per [...]
Odey Asset Management invites rivals to gatecrash Playtech’s takeover of Plus500 June 4, 2015 Plus500’s top shareholder Odey Asset Management yesterday rebuked a £460m deal for the company from Teddy Sagi’s Playtech and said it would welcome offers from rival bidders. Odey, which was founded by hedge fund investor Crispin Odey, has amassed a 25 per cent stake in the troubled spreadbetting company alongside JP Morgan, which owns [...]
Merger for UK music startups Songkick and Crowdsurge June 4, 2015 Two UK-based music platforms said they were teaming up yesterday, as concert app Songkick and ticket sales website Crowdsurge announced a 50/50 merger. In an announcement on its website, Songkick said that the combined company would keep the name Songkick and become the “largest artist-ticketing service in the world.” According to Songkick, the company aims [...]
Competition probe into Greene King’s Spirit Pub takeover moves on to consultation stage June 4, 2015 Greene King’s proposals to the Competition Market Authority (CMA) regarding its acquisition of the Spirit Pub Company reached consultation stage yesterday. The consultation comes after the regulator raised concerns about the £774m merger shortly after it was announced in May. At the time the authority said the current proposal would “substantially” lessen competition in the [...]
Birds Eye owner Nomad Foods gets taste for Findus takeover deal June 3, 2015 Birds Eye owner Nomad Foods is in talks to buy Crispy Pancake maker Findus, in a deal which would cement the firm’s dominance in the frozen food market. Nomad, an acquisition vehicle for hedge fund tycoon Noam Gottesman and consumer boss Martin Franklin, said it was in exclusive early stage talks with the owners of [...]
Canary Wharf owner Brookfield buys Center Parcs June 2, 2015 After all the effort Brookfield put into buying Songbird, the parent company of Canary Wharf, it's clearly in need of some leisure time: the Canadian investor has just bought Center Parcs from Blackstone. Read more: Brookfield – Center Parcs' next big owner Although its price was undisclosed, it is thought Brookfield paid somewhere in the region [...]
Playtech makes £460m bid for Plus500: Boss Mor Weizer calls deal “immediately revenue enhancing” June 1, 2015 Playtech has announced that it is in the process of buying Plus500, in a deal worth nearly £460m. The online gaming firm said that it would pay 400p a share for the Israel-based and London-listed trading platform. The deal is expected to be concluded by the end of September. Plus500 has previously been [...]
Ultra Electronics Holdings enhances war capabilities in $265m Kratos Defence bid June 1, 2015 UK defence firm Ultra Electronics Holdings announced it had agreed to acquire the electronic products division (EPD) of Kratos Defence and Security Solutions yesterday for up to $265m (£174m). Ultra Electronics said the acquisition will strengthen its position in the growing market of electronic warfare and provide long-term contracts to boost its order book visibility. [...]
British American Tobacco in €550m Croatian deal to buy TDR from Adris Grupa June 1, 2015 British American Tobacco (BAT) is set to extend its reach into the Balkans after the cigarette giant agreed to purchase TDR from Croatia’s Adris Grupa yesterday for €550m (£394m). BAT, which last year had a global market share of 12 per cent in tobacco products, said it will benefit from TDR’s strong brand presence in [...]
Optimal Payments gets go ahead for €1bn Skrill takeover June 1, 2015 Optimal Payments came a step closer to its reverse takeover of Skrill yesterday after the firm said it had met several of the conditions necessary for the deal. The announcement is the latest sign of progress since Optimal stated its intention to conduct the reverse takeover, worth €1.1bn (£791m), in March. The deal will see [...]