Betaville

Sunday review - Mike Ashley, Peter Hargreaves and one of Betaville's former employers...

Once you get past the acres of Brexit coverage there were some decent business jackanories knocking about in the Sunday papers today.

One story that caught Betaville's eye was a tucked away on page 2 of the Mail on Sunday's business section about how Mike Ashley is planning to hire new PR "experts" to look after his "growing retail group". Below is a link to Neil Craven's article:..

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Capita in focus after Goldman Sachs moves to "Not Rated"...

Goldman Sachs this evening restricted its equity research team from publishing a rating on Capita, according to sources familiar with the situation.

It's well known the Wall Street bank has been advising Capita and its (newish) chief executive, Jon Lewis, on the company's £700 million rights issue and the £700 million disposal programme, including the recent sale of parking management company Parkingeye to Macquarie and MML Capital for £235 million...

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The ailing marketing communications giant, the Vampire Squid and the mandate...

It has been brought to Betaville's attention that Investment bankers are all over WPP chairman Roberto Quarta, angling for permanent mandate as the company's financial advisor.

And you can see why corporate financiers are aggresively targeting the marketing services group set up by Sir Martin Sorrell in 1985...

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Sorrell (s?) back in the spotlight...sort of

Farewell, Sir Martin. The round the clock media coverage of the deal junkie ad man appears to have halted now that he has stepped down as chief executive of WPP, the marketing services giant he built over the last thirty years...

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BCA Marketplace sacks HSBC and JP Morgan...

Tongues are wagging after BCA Marketplace sacked corporate brokers at JP Morgan and HSBC and replaced them with Goldman Sachs and Numis in one fell swoop.

https://www.investegate.co.uk/bca-marketplace-plc--bca-/rns/change-of-adviser/201802190726502352F/..

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The American aviation giant, the Wall Street investment bank and the potential $30 billion counterbid

Josh Kosman's tale in the New York Post (see the link below) about Goldman Sachs pitching Boeing to make a $30 billion counterbid for Rockwell Collins caught Betaville's eye today.

http://nypost.com/2017/09/05/goldman-sachs-wanted-boeing-to-bid-on-airplane-parts-maker/..

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Stada said to be working with Goldman Sachs on "strategic options"; predators circle - sources - the end?

Now that the bid battle for Stada appears to be done and dusted (you never know, though, there could be a final twist) little old Betaville would like to remind readers of the piece I published in early December about how the German pharmaceutical company was working with bankers on "strategic options" after receiving informal expressions of interest. Below is the link to the piece:..

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Reuben Brothers weigh sale metal warehousing company; Chinese circling, again - sources

The billionaire Reuben Brothers could be about to make another multi-million pound cash windfall from the sale of one of their businesses.

City sources the brothers are considering a sale of Metro International Trade Services, a metal warehousing company, after receiving approaches from potential buyers. I understand one of the purchasers is a mystery Chinese company...

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Stada said to be working with Goldman Sachs on "strategic options"; predators circle - sources

German drug company Stada Arzneimittel has begun working with financial advisers to weigh the group's "strategic options".

According to two sources familiar with the matter, generic drug group Stada is said to be working with bankers from Goldman Sachs after receiving informal expressions of interest from potential acquirers...

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A wrinkle

It would appear one of the world's most powerful investment banks has landed a role on the Reuben Brothers' £5.2 billion sale of data storage company Global Switch to a group of Chinese investors.

Top sources have told little old Betaville Goldman Sachs has picked up a mandate advising on the deal, first revealed in the The Sunday Times a month or so ago...

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A Cypress update: company said to be working with Goldman Sachs on strategic options; three private equity firms circling - sources - part 2

I note Deal Reporter and its sister publication PARR followed up little old Betaville's tale from a couple of months ago on Cypress Semiconductors. In case you don't recall, here is a link to that piece:..

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Air Liquide said to have hired Goldman Sachs to sell Aqua Lung for $400 million - sources

French industrial gases giant Air Liquide is exploring a sale of the company that invented Scuba diving equipment and was founded by the well-known oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.

Air Liquide has asked bankers at Goldman Sachs to find a buyer for Aqua Lung, which was formerly known as La Spirotechnique. People familiar with the matter said information packs have already been sent to potential buyers, many of whom are likely to be private equity firms...

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Sanofi said to weigh alternative deals to Medivation; eyes BioMarin Pharmaceutical - sources

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi is working on a back up plan in case it fails to win its $9.3 billion hostile pursuit of US-listed Medivation.

Top sources have told me the French pharmaceutical giant has begun looking at US-based rare disease specialist BioMarin Pharmaceutical as a potential alternative takeover deal after growing frustrated in its pursuit of Medivation, which has so far resisted the French company's advances...

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Goldman Sachs tips Sky, Cairn Energy and Zealand Pharma as takeover candidates

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