SINGAPORE/LONDON: France's Casino and Britain's Tesco are among the bidders still in the running to buy Carrefour's stores in Southeast Asia, people close to the matter said yesterday.
Carrefour, Europe's No.1 retailer, has set a November 5 deadline for second round bids, two other sources said. The US$1 billion (RM3.12 billion) auction has generated robust demand.
Carrefour wants to sell its shops in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand to focus on markets where it holds leading positions.
Dairy Farm, which owns Giant and Cold Storage chains in Southeast Asia, has also made it to the next round for buying Singapore and Malaysian assets, sources said.
Dairy Farm is backed by Jardine Group in its pursuit of the assets.
Japan's second largest retail group Aeon Co Ltd has also advanced to the next round, sources said, though it was not clear if they were still bidding for all the three assets.
Malaysia-based private equity firm Navis Capital Partners has also progressed to the next stage for buying Malaysia and Singapore assets, a separate source said.
Dairy Farm and Navis declined to comment, while Aeon could not be reached for a comment immediately.
Thai conglomerate Berli Jucker Pcl said on Tuesday it had also got through the first round of bidding for Carrefour's Thai stores, while a source close to the matter said Thai energy giant energy giant PTT Pcl had also made it through the first round for the same assets.
Tesco, the world's No. 3 retailer behind Carrefour and US group Wal-Mart, is market leader in both Thailand and Malaysia.
Newspapers had reported the group had been dropped after first round bids, but the Financial Times said earlier on Wednesday that it had progressed to a second round.
Casino is also a force within the region, and part-owns Thailand's Big C Supercenter. - Reuters
Carrefour, Europe's No.1 retailer, has set a November 5 deadline for second round bids, two other sources said. The US$1 billion (RM3.12 billion) auction has generated robust demand.
Carrefour wants to sell its shops in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand to focus on markets where it holds leading positions.
Dairy Farm, which owns Giant and Cold Storage chains in Southeast Asia, has also made it to the next round for buying Singapore and Malaysian assets, sources said.
Japan's second largest retail group Aeon Co Ltd has also advanced to the next round, sources said, though it was not clear if they were still bidding for all the three assets.
Malaysia-based private equity firm Navis Capital Partners has also progressed to the next stage for buying Malaysia and Singapore assets, a separate source said.
Dairy Farm and Navis declined to comment, while Aeon could not be reached for a comment immediately.
Thai conglomerate Berli Jucker Pcl said on Tuesday it had also got through the first round of bidding for Carrefour's Thai stores, while a source close to the matter said Thai energy giant energy giant PTT Pcl had also made it through the first round for the same assets.
Tesco, the world's No. 3 retailer behind Carrefour and US group Wal-Mart, is market leader in both Thailand and Malaysia.
Newspapers had reported the group had been dropped after first round bids, but the Financial Times said earlier on Wednesday that it had progressed to a second round.
Casino is also a force within the region, and part-owns Thailand's Big C Supercenter. - Reuters
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