Kwarteng to request meeting with Morrisons boss over buyout July 7, 2021 Business minister Kwasi Kwarteng will request a meeting with the boss of Morrisons to seek reassurances over jobs, pensions and the supermarket’s operations ahead of a potential buyout. Ministers will meet with executives at Morrisons ahead of a potential takeover by a consortium of funds headed by New York private equity house Fortress. The meeting [...]
Wetherspoons slams government for ‘behaving like Monty Python’s Dennis Moore’ over VAT rates July 7, 2021 Wetherspoons has hit out at the government for what is believes are unfair VAT rates on hospitality businesses, which could make the sector less competitive post-Covid. The pub chain has accused the government of “unfairness” and of ‘robbing the poor to help the rich’ by levying a higher VAT rate on food bought in pub [...]
KKR sets up dedicated team for snapping up UK companies July 6, 2021 KKR will set up a team of dealmakers who will specifically target more UK takeover deals, as the private equity “raid” on British companies reaches record highs. The private equity giant has announced it will expand its global operations to include a new team of five British dealmakers who will focus on snapping up companies [...]
FTSE 100 lifts as supermarkets drive rally July 5, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 rose on Monday afternoon, driven by a rally in supermarket shares. The capital’s premier index added 0.56 per cent to reach 7,163 in the afternoon session, paring back this morning’s losses. The gains were partly caused by shares in supermarkets rising in afternoon trading after Apollo Global Management announced it was considering [...]
Major investor LGIM calls for more detail on Morrisons property portfolio before voting on takeover July 5, 2021 Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), one of Morrisons’ biggest shareholders, has called for more detail on Morrisons’ property portfolio before it votes on a private equity takeover bid. Over the weekend Morrisons accepted a £6.3bn takeover offer by a consortium of funds led by private equity firm Fortress. But this morning rival Apollo said [...]
Morrisons: Amazon Fresh deal could be key factor in takeover battle of the summer July 5, 2021 Morrisons’ supply deal with Amazon could be a major factor in what is shaping up to be the biggest takeover battle of the summer, with the scale and scope of Amazon offering bidders a unique chance to be part of what could be a major market upset. This morning Morrisons share price rocketed more than [...]
Bidding war on the cards after Morrisons accepts £6.3bn takeover July 4, 2021 Rival private equity firms are reportedly considering entering a rival bid to Morrisons’ £6.3bn takeover, which was announced yesterday. The UK supermarket chain’s board accepted a 252p-a-share offer by private equity group Fortress, after an earlier £6bn bid by a different firm was turned down two weeks ago. The total value of the deal is [...]
Morrisons accepts £6.3bn takeover bid from SoftBank-backed Fortress July 3, 2021 Morrisons has accepted a £6.3bn takeover bid from a new group of funds led by affiliates of SoftBank-backed Fortress, the firm announced this morning. Morrisons shareholders will receive 254p a share, comprising 252p in cash and a 2p cash dividend. Read more: Top Morrisons investor says CD&R should up its bid to £6.5bn The group is [...]
Business committee writes to CMA over private equity takeover concerns July 1, 2021 A spate of recent private equity interest in the UK’s supermarkets has prompted the chair of the parliamentary business committee to question whether the competition watchdog has sharp enough teeth to deal with such bids. Over the weekend, buyout specialists Clayton, Dubilier & Rice made an unprompted £5.5bn offer for Morrisons, which rejected the bid. [...]
City of London Corporation unveils plans for startup hub at City Place House July 1, 2021 The City of London Corporation this morning announced it has resolved to grant planning permission for Great Portland Estates’ redevelopment of City Place House into a 13-storey office structure that will include affordable space for small businesses and startups. The redevelopment, which will be overseen by Great Portland Estates, will be redeveloped into a 44,500 [...]