A cheeky website about deals, dealmakers and anything else I find interesting. Edited by Ben Harrington. If you have a tip, want to discuss a story or have a subscription enquiry please feel free to email Betaville at [email protected]. Betaville can also be reached at Whats App, Signal or Telegram. Betaville's Twitter handle is @bharringtonw11 and you can message me via Twitter with stories.
Betaville IntelligenceFriday, 18 February 2022, 2:42 pm
A growing number of advisers have been enlisted to work on a possible takeover of THG ahead of a potential formal offer for the London-listed online retailer.
People following the situation have heard Advent International has appointed consultants from McKinsey & Company to carry out analysis and a due diligence report...
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Thursday, 17 February 2022, 6:49 pm
It would appear there is a campaign on the go to break up Amazon.
First, the venerable Wall Street Journal opines in an editorial piece a week ago that it might be better for Amazon to be split into two. Below is the link:..
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Exclusive to Betaville Intelligence subscribersWednesday, 16 February 2022, 2:42 pm
Betaville IntelligenceTuesday, 15 February 2022, 3:35 pm
Ontex, the Belgian diaper maker, is at the centre of a fresh round of takeover speculation.
People following the situation have heard talk the company could soon be on the receiving end of a takeover approach.
Some people following the situation said the approach could come from Ontex's largest shareholders...
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Betaville IntelligenceMonday, 14 February 2022, 7:50 am
I see the old Mark "the Kleinmanator" Kleinman of Sky News last night popped up with his own version of the Audioboom story, suggesting both Amazon and Spotify are both considering takeover offers for the Aim-listed podcasting business. Below is the link:
https://news.sky.com/story/amazon-and-spotify-mull-bids-for-london-listed-podcaster-audioboom-12541467..
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Saturday, 12 February 2022, 10:07 am
The venerable Wall Street Journal's deals team dug out a corking scoop late on Friday night about technology giant Cisco making a $20 billion approach for the wonderfully named Splunk, the US-listed software business. Below is the link:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cisco-made-20-billion-plus-takeover-offer-for-splunk-11644622277..
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Friday, 11 February 2022, 8:21 am
Has GlaxoSmithKline truly given up its pursuit of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, the US-listed drug developer?
Last year Betaville Intelligence reported that GSK was one of the pharmaceutical giants circling Aurinia but now The Times is reporting the FTSE 100-listed group is looking at a different takeover target...
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Betaville IntelligenceThursday, 10 February 2022, 7:21 pm
Readers following the THG story (saga) might be interested in Matt Moulding's Instagram posts.
The founder of e-commerce firm THG, also known as The Hut Group, appears to draw a supportive group of followers who clearly follow the company's topsy turvy share price performance.
Below is a link to one of Moulding's latest missives on Insta; the post itself is unsurprisingly a THG promotion but the comments from punters on the right hand are worth a quick glance...
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Betaville IntelligenceThursday, 10 February 2022, 4:10 pm
Micro Focus International, the London-listed software and technology company, has come under the spotlight amid takeover talk.
People following the situation have heard talk Micro Focus International may have attracted interest from a mystery suitor.
However, the identity of the firm circling Micro Focus International isn't clear, said people following the situation...
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Wednesday, 9 February 2022, 8:37 am
It's been a tad quieter over the last month or so on the British dealmaking scene, so Betaville was pleased to see a fresh takeover situation announced this morning.
John Menzies, the London-listed aviation services businesses, has rejected a 510p a share offer from Agility Public Warehousing, which is what looks to be a Kuwaiti company...
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Exclusive to Betaville Intelligence subscribersTuesday, 8 February 2022, 5:45 pm
Betaville IntelligenceMonday, 7 February 2022, 5:09 pm
Friends and colleagues at the Daily Mail and The Sunday Times were kind enough to give little old Betaville a mention over the weekend following Friday's UNCOOKED Alert about the private equity firms interested in THG, the online retailer also known as The Hut Group...
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Betaville IntelligenceFriday, 4 February 2022, 3:28 pm
Private equity firms Advent International, Leonard Green Partners and Apollo are all rumoured to be circling THG, the London-listed e-commerce business.
People following the situation have heard talk Advent is working with advisers from Goldman Sachs on its interest in THG alongside the company's founder, Matt Moulding...
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Betaville IntelligenceThursday, 3 February 2022, 6:08 pm
Rivals at The Times today picked up on the bid rumours little old Betaville has been publishing since late last year about Audioboom, the London-listed podcasting platform.
The suggestion from the newspaper was that Spotify is interested in buying Audioboom. Below is the link to the piece with the Spotify tale:..
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Betaville IntelligenceWednesday, 2 February 2022, 4:24 pm
Hacks at Reuters appear to be keen on following little old Betaville's work at the moment.
Last week reporters at the news agency picked up on the Siemens Gamesa bid rumours and this week they have finally cottoned onto the fact that predators are circling ailing Atos, the French technology firm...
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Tuesday, 1 February 2022, 10:11 am
The cat is finally out of the bag. Or rather Izzy has finally left FT Alphaville.
Yes, that's Izabella Kaminska, who has launched her new site - The Blind Spot. Below is a link to it:
https://the-blindspot.com
It all looks very interesting and exciting.....
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Monday, 31 January 2022, 9:25 pm
Word reaches Betaville that Nickleby Capital, the little known corporate finance firm that was claiming to advise and finance Eddie Jordan's consortium on its $3 billion tilt at FTSE 250-listed gaming software group Playtech, was hardly involved in the deal...
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Betaville IntelligenceFriday, 28 January 2022, 10:46 pm
Rivals at Bloomberg just landed a stonking scoop about a company that is very much at the centre of Betaville's attention at the moment: Vodafone.
According to the news agency, Swedish activist Cevian has taken a shareholding in the FTSE 100 telecoms giant and held talks with the company.
And avid followers of the activist fund know that Cevian has form in picking investments that eventually get bid for, such as blue chip insurer RSA...
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Exclusive to Betaville Intelligence subscribersFriday, 28 January 2022, 1:51 pm
Thursday, 27 January 2022, 8:53 am
Readers following the complex takeover saga involving FTSE 250-listed gaming software company Playtech might spend a bit time of digesting Alisatir "Acerbic" Osborne's column in The Times this morning...
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[Disclaimer - the information on Betaville does not consitute any form of investment recommendation and is not intended to be relied upon by readers in making, or refraining from, any investment decisions].