Harris, the US-based investment firm which owns a 13% shareholding in Signet, the UK-listed jewellery retailer, said that although it was pleased that Signet's bid discussions with the buyout groups Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and Apax Partners had broken off, selling Signet's Ernest Jones and H Samuel chains might be a good option. Signet's institutional shareholders claim the incumbent management will be able to do a better job for investors than private equity firms would, they are not averse to selling the UK businesses, A pre-tax profit of approximately £57m is anticipated at next results.