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 IntelligenceMonday, 13 December 2021, 7:39 pm
It would appear France's BFM news channel has decided to follow up on little old Betaville's UNCOOKED Alert from last week about the Carrefour SA.
BFM is suggesting that Auchan and the Mulliez family, who control Auchan, are still keen to do a deal that could involve of a takeover of / or merger with Carrefour. Below is a link to the piece if you missed it:..
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Betaville IntelligenceFriday, 10 December 2021, 4:15 pm
THG PLC, the UK-listed e-commerce company, is at the centre of speculation the company could soon be involved in a major corporate event.
People following the situation said the precise details of the transaction are unclear but suggested the "event" might include a takeover of the London-listed business led by the company's founder, Matt Moulding, or a spin off of a large division...
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Betaville IntelligenceFriday, 10 December 2021, 1:50 pm
Carrefour SA, the France-listed supermarket group, has come back under the spotlight amid a fresh round of talk it could soon be involved in a significant transaction, including a merger or takeover of the France-listed supermarket group.
Some people following the situation have heard to talk that Carrefour is "still in play", suggesting a bidder is still circling the company.
However, the identity of the acquirer remains unclear, said these people following the situation...
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Exclusive to Betaville Intelligence subscribersThursday, 9 December 2021, 6:06 pm
Exclusive to Betaville Intelligence subscribersWednesday, 8 December 2021, 3:54 pm
Exclusive to Betaville Intelligence subscribersWednesday, 8 December 2021, 3:36 pm
Betaville IntelligenceWednesday, 8 December 2021, 7:55 am
Splashed across the pages of most of today's British newspapers business sections is the latest twist on the battle between FTSE 100-listed energy giant SSE and Elliott, the activist investor led by Paul Singer.
This time Elliott has officially broken cover by going "on the record" about its position and what it wants (for the moment). Below are the links to all the relevant articles:..
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Betaville IntelligenceTuesday, 7 December 2021, 3:01 pm
I see arch rivals at Bloomberg have finally decided to follow up on little old Betaville's alert from a couple of week's ago about the recent Ageas takeover rumours.
The financial media giant is claiming BE Group, which is led by ex Lazard financier Mark Pensaert, has rekindled its interest in buying Ageas. I would post the link but Bloomie hasn't made the story publicly available...
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Monday, 6 December 2021, 6:26 pm
Ahoy there Betavillers!
As you may have noticed its been a rather busy week - or year, rather - so I haven't had time to write to you with the usual self congratulatory missive about my recent scoops. But I have a bit of time now, so I will list below the confirmations over the last week.
First up, there was Betaville's UNCOOKED ALERT about dealer Marshall Motor Holdings, which was subsequently confirmed over the following days. Below are the links:..
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Monday, 6 December 2021, 9:10 am
French publication BFM is today reporting that FTSE 100-listed telecoms giant Vodafone has held merger talks with France's Orange.
Betaville's French is a bit rusty but according to BFM Vodafone held talks with Orange about a combination from the summer of 2020 to the beginning of 2021. Below is the link:..
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Thursday, 2 December 2021, 11:37 pm
AP Moller Holdings is on the verge of buying Unilabs, the giant Switzerland-based healthcare and diagnostics company.
People following the situation said AP Moller Holdings, a vehicle that controls the Danish shipping company Maersk, is in exclusive talks to purchase Unilabs from private equity firm Apax...
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Betaville IntelligenceThursday, 2 December 2021, 4:16 pm
An American activist investor is rumored to be targeting Taylor Wimpey, the FTSE 100-listed housebuilder, with a view to encouraging corporate activity, such as a takeover.
People following the situation have heard talk Elliott Advisors has been secretly building a sizeable stake in Taylor Wimpey, one of Britain's largest housebuilders...
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Exclusive to Betaville Intelligence subscribersThursday, 2 December 2021, 11:39 am
Betaville IntelligenceWednesday, 1 December 2021, 3:25 pm
Atos, the ailing French IT company, has finally been deleted from the MSCI Indices, which has forced passive tracker funds to offload around 8 million shares in the business.
Now, in case you don't recall around about this time of the year in 2017 Gemalto, another ailing French cybersecurity company, was deleted from the MSCI Standard Series Index...
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Exclusive to Betaville Intelligence subscribersTuesday, 30 November 2021, 4:04 pm
Monday, 29 November 2021, 2:25 pm
Karen Lo has been buying a multi-million pound stake in Playtech, the online gaming software group currently at the centre of a complex three-way takeover tussle.
She is just the latest in a string of colourful characters, many of them eminating from the Far East, who have been buying shares in Playtech well above the recommended 680p a share offer from Aristocrat, an Australian gaming group...
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Monday, 29 November 2021, 10:01 am
There is a big buzz around BT Group this morming amid reports from India claiming that Reliance Industries is weighing a multi-billion pound bid for the ailing telecommunications company.
According to The Economic Times, Reliance - which is controlled by Mukesh Ambani, supposedly Asia's "richest man" - is considering making an offer for the whole of BT Group, which recently saw French billionaire Patrick Drahi come onto the register with a large shareholding...
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Betaville IntelligenceFriday, 26 November 2021, 3:21 pm
Marshall Motor Holdings PLC, the UK-listed car dealership group, is at the centre of takeover speculation.
People following the situation have heard rumours a mystery predator is eyeing Marshall Motor Holdings and may have already approached the company about a takeover deal.
However, the identity of the party interested in buying Marshall Motor Holdings - Britain's seventh largest car dealer - is in unclear, said these people following the situation...
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Exclusive to Betaville Intelligence subscribersFriday, 26 November 2021, 3:00 pm
Thursday, 25 November 2021, 7:25 pm
Betaville's favourite business commentator today suggests that ailing catalytic converter maker Johnson Matthey might be of interest to the buy-out barons if its new boss can't sort the company out soon enough...
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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].