Betaville

PrettyLittleThing founder said to be weigh multi-billion pound takeover bid for TopShop, reports The Times

Hat tip to Isabella Fish, the new (ish) retail editor at The Times.

Tucked away in her piece about Shein, the Chinese retail giant, registering an interest in purchasing TopShop from Asos was an almost more interesting line about Umar Kamani putting together a rival bid by forming consortium with Middle Eastern investors to buy the fahsion brand. Below is a link to Isabella's story:..

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Butcher's said to be working with Houlihan Lokey on potential sale - sources

Dealmaking hasn't been easy this year in the UK market but if there is one area that continues to defy the slowdown it's pet care.

And the latest company at the centre of takeover talk is Butcher's, a privately-owned posh dog food maker based in Northamptonshire in the British midlands.

City sources said Butcher's is said to be working with advisers from Houlihan Lokey on "strategic options", which as most readers know is banker parlance for a potential sale...

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UK Commercial REIT Limited in £1 billion all share merger talks with Picton Property Income

It begins.

There has been plenty of talk about consolidation among some of the London-listed Real Estate Investment Trusts over the last six months but so far not much action.

This morning, though, UK Commercial REIT Limited has been forced to confirm it is in all share merger talks with Picton Property Income Limited following "speculation". Below is a link to this morning's announcement:..

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Brummer on BT Group

Veteran City columnist Alex Brummer has this morning dedicated most of his column in the Daily Mail to the BT Group bid rumour that been circulating the London market for the last four years (at least)...

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The phantom bid ...

Hacks at The Times have done a good job of unpacking the shenanigans going on at Jersey-based oil and has explorer Upland Resources.

It would appear the company reveived a takeover approach from a "phanton" offeror. Now, you don't get many of those in the London market.

Anyway, if you want to read the whole story then little old Betaville suggests reading Jessica Newman and Emily Gosden's piece on this sorry affair by clicking on the link below:..

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Deals, Deals, Deals ... in a bear market - Part 60

Today's string of deals include the long awaited sale of Vodafone's Spanish unit to Zegona Communications for £4.3 billion. Below is a link to the announcement:

https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/ZEG/zegona-to-acquire-vodafone-spain-for-eur-5-0bn/16188392..

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Deals, Deals, Deals ... in a bear market - Part 59

This week's round of dealmaking in the UK kicks off with Ascential's £1.4 billion sale of two bits of the group to marketing giant Omnicom and Apax.

This morning Ascential, the FTSE 250-listed business information and events group, announced a deal to sell its Digital Commerce unit to Omnicom for £741 million and also the sale of its product design unit (called WGSN) to buy out house Apax for £700 million...

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Canaccord Genuity's Quest gets shorty...

Advising clients to sell shares is back in vogue among the more traditional stockbrokers.

A decade ago or so the blue chip brokers used to write all sorts of negative equity research about London-listed companies but then the thought police took control...

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WPP rumoured to be a takeover target for Blackstone and Silver Lake, reports Kleinman in City AM

The old Kleinmanator is on fire!

This morning Mark "The Kleinmanator" Kleinman of Sky News reveals in is City AM column that WPP, the FTSE 100-listed advertising giant, has been at the centre of takeover rumours, suggesting American private equity firms Blackstone and Silver Lake are the two firms interested in buying the business. Below is the link to his piece:..

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