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.
Warren Buffett is splashing out over $11 billion on US-listed property and casualty insurer Alleghany Corporation.
Buffett's firm Berkshire Hathaway is paying $848.02 per in cash for Alleghany and follows a period in which the billionaire old timer has complained about the lack of acquisition opportunities.
Anyway, I have pasted the core details of the press release below:..
Mark Kleinman of Sky News appears to have gone into hyperdrive, digging out blockbuster scoops on an almost hourly basis.
His latest scoop is about how Hedin Group has submitted 28p a share (roughly £400 million) offer for London-listed Pendragon, the car dealer. Below is a link to Mark's story:..
It didn't take long for Sycamore Partners to confirm its interest in buying Ted Baker.
The private equity firm has just announced it is considering making an offer for the London-listed retailer. Below is the link:
It would appear The Kleinmanator of Sky News wasn't the only City hack onto the Ted Baker bid rumour.
Last week, Bryce, "The Flying Scotsman", Elder of the venerable Financial Times got into the story in his excellent City Insider column, pointing out that there was talk circulating the London market of a £300 million plus takeover offer. Below is a link to Bryce's piece:..
Mark, "The Kleinmanator", Kleinman of Sky News has landed a decent scoop this evening about American private equity firm Sycamore Partners weighing a takeover bid for Ted Baker, the London-listed retailer.
According to Kleiny, Sycamore has hired Numis to advise on the possible takeover, so one assumes the firm's interest is relatively advanced and a statement should be appear soon. Below is a link:..
Oaktree Capital is the newest participant in the £3 billion Chelsea FC sale process.
According to the Financial Times, the $166 billion asset manager - led by Howard Marks - "is preparing an offer for Chelsea" ahead of this Friday's bid deadline. Below is a link to the FT piece:
https://www.ft.com/content/c031e021-9b76-45e6-be61-62ddec48c36a..
Another activist is trying to persuade London-listed estate agency Foxtons to sell itself.
According to a report in the Financial Times, Montreal-based Converium Capital has built up a stake of 2pc in Foxtons and is arguing the company should find a buyer after failing to take advantage of a red hot London property market. Below is a link to the piece in the FT:..
Betaville is adding Tilman Fertitta to the list of suitors lining up trying to buy Chelsea FC.
That's because, according to Mark "The Kleinmanator" Kleinman at Sky News, Fertitta is in the data room going over Chelsea FC's books.
Fertitta owns the Houston Rockets NBA team and runs Landry's, a gaming and hospitality group.
Anyway, below is updated list of Chelsea suitors:..
The venerable Wall Street Journal has just published a whopping deal scoop.
According the publication, a consortium of private equity firms that includes Elliott Management, the hedge fund giant led by Paul Singer, are in talks to take Nielsen Holdings, the TV ratings company, private for around $15 billion. Below is the link to the tale:..
Football hacks at The Times are reporting that a consortium headed up by US financier Todd Boehly and British property developer Jonathan Goldstein has emerged as the "leading contender" to buy Chelsea FC. Below is the link to that story:..
The Guardian have just published an intriguing article about the on-off sale of Chelsea Football Club.
Most of the market seemed to think the sale was off yesterday following the news about the British government sanctioning Roman Abramovich.
But now hacks at The Guardian are reporting that a select group of potential buyers are being considered as potential owners by the UK government (is that Nadine Dorries?)...
So, it turns out it was Apollo stalking Pearson, the FTSE 100-listed education publisher.
Below is the link to the press release:
Forget about days; it would appear there is a new bidder interested in buying Chelsea Football Club every hour.
Last night it emerged Josh Harris - the former Apollo dealmaker that owns a stake in Crystal Palace - and Jamie Reuben, the son and nephew of billionaire brothers David and Simon Reuben, have both thrown their hat in the ring to buy Chelsea FC from Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch...
This week the story confirmations for little old Betaville are emerging as quickly as the bidders for Chelsea Football Club.
Last Thursday Betaville published an UNCOOKED alert suggesting France-listed renewables company Albioma may have been in takeover talks, possibly with a private equity firm. Below is the link:..
Stagecoach this morning announced it has shunned National Express because it has had a cash offer of 105p a share from financial buyer DWS Infrastructure. Below is a link to the press release:
Another day, another bidder - or two - for Chelsea FC, the Premier League football club put on the block by Roman Abramovich.
Reports emerged yesterday that Robert 'Woody' Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets, is keen on taking a look at the winners of the Champions League.
Also, a shadowy Saudi group called Saudi Media is sniffing around Chelsea FC, according to football website Goal...
Well, it didn't take too long for rivals at Bloomberg to follow up little old Betaville's UNCOOKED alert about a potential takeover bid for France-listed renewable energy company Albioma.
This morning the financial media behemoth is reporting that KKR, the American private equity giant, is weighing an offer for Albioma. Below is a link the Bloomie piece and Betaville's alert from last week:..
[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].