Bidding war for Morrisons heats up as US private equity giant makes £7bn move August 20, 2021 A fresh £7bn bid for supermarket chain Morrisons has been put forward by US private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). The deal has been unanimously accepted by the board of the grocer and directors have said shareholders should vote in favour of the takeover at a meeting due in early October. It means [...]
Ocado sales dip as pre-pandemic habits return, supermarket data finds August 17, 2021 The UK’s return to normality has been accompanied by a return to pre-pandemic shopping habits, with online and overall grocery sales declining. The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar for the period ending 8 August show that grocery sales fell by four per cent. The latest twelve weeks saw the lowest level of online [...]
Amazon launches own-brand groceries on its UK website August 16, 2021 Amazon has added own-brand groceries to its UK website as it amps up competition with Britain’s supermarkets. Never one to miss out on a lucrative business opportunity, the company capitalised on lockdown restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic by expanding its online groceries service. Amazon Fresh expanded its next-day delivery service to customers across the UK [...]
Morrisons suitor CD&R gears up to beat Fortress bid August 16, 2021 New York bidder Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) is gearing up to place its counter-bid to the leading £10bn Fortress offer for Wm Morrison supermarkets before its deadline next Friday. CD&R planted the seed for the ongoing private equity bidding war for the British supermarket in June, when it placed a 230p per share offer [...]
Hostelworld revenue dives against restrictions but travellers begin to return August 11, 2021 Online travel agent Hostelworld has had its revenue plummet 76 per cent in the past six months, as the group was significantly bruised by Covid-19 travel restrictions. Net revenue fell from €12m in the first half of last year to just €2.9m this year. Total bookings have also sunk by 73 per cent from a [...]
Morrisons partner McColl’s in talks over £30m cash call August 8, 2021 A major UK convenience store group is in talks over a £30m cash call in a bid to accelerate its partnership with supermarket chain Morrisons. McColl’s Retail Group has reportedly started talks with institutional investors about the £30m injection, which would almost match the group’s current £40m market capitalisation. City sources told Sky News that McColl’s chief [...]
Supermarket sweep: The fight for Morrisons heats up with Fortress increasing offer to £6.7bn August 6, 2021 The battle for control of one of the UK’s biggest supermarkets, Morrisons, has stepped up a notch today, with Fortress increasing its bid to £6.7bn. Fortress increased its offer to £6.7bn, or 272p per share when a 2p per share dividend is included, from £6.3bn earlier. The private equity consortium said said it “notes the [...]
Private equity needs to start speaking up for itself – it could be the key to ‘levelling up’ August 6, 2021 Private equity’s reputation is once again in the spotlight. With the supermarket Morrisons in the industry’s crosshairs, the public memory is reminded of previous scandals involving other household names. The multi-billion-pound bidding war for a major employer, headquartered in the north of England, has understandably attracted the interest of ministers and opposition politicians sensitive to [...]
Morrisons counterbid set to come from another US private equity giant August 1, 2021 American private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) is reportedly preparing to submit a counterbid for British supermarket chain Morrisons, after a £6.3bn bid from a rival. US buyout giant Fortress had a £6.3bn bid for Morrisons provisionally accepted last month, after weeks of takeover rumours. The Sunday Times reports today that CD&R are [...]
Morrisons takeover could trigger breakup, analysts warn July 31, 2021 Analysts have warned that British supermarket chain Morrisons could be broken up if it is taken over by buyout firms. Analysts at Bernstein said they “struggle to see” how Morrisons’ assets would not be stripped if the takeover proceeds at the current or a higher offer price. Read more: Morrisons: Singapore’s wealth fund GIC joins [...]