Fri, 14 Dec 2012 | BUSINESS SALE
The owner of the House of Fraser department store group, Don McCarthy, is understood to have put the company up for sale.
The entrepreneur did not comment on the sale, but did say that the interests of the shareholders will be well looked after regardless of who the buyer ends up being.
A sale would require the support of a majority of House of Fraser's backers. The Guardian contacted two significant backers based in the UK, who both indicated that they supported McCarthy's efforts.
So far Sports Direct and its owner Mike Ashley is thought to be among the interested buyers, although Mr Ashley played down the prospective purchase when announcing an increase in sales and profits for Sports Direct in the first half of the year.
There is further industry speculation that Debenhams might also show an interest due to the fact that there have been previous merger discussions between the pair.
Sir Philip Green's Arcadia Group has also been rumoured to have shown an interest, following the company's surprise move earlier this week in selling a 25 per cent interest to US private equity house, Leonard Green & Partners, which was seen as a signal that the company is preparing for a major acquisition.
This is a unique opportunity to acquire valuable intellectual property assets from a well-established wholesaler with many years of experience in the discount food and non-food sector in the Midlands.
This is an opportunity to acquire a long-established specialist bakery business, supplying major UK supermarkets and boasting a fully equipped production facility with a skilled workforce.
Discover the rare chance to acquire a specialist UK supplier of marine engines and generators, noted for their leadership in the used marine engine market and hard-to-find parts.
Please choose your settings for this site below. For more information please read our Cookie Policy
These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly and provide you with access to all features.
These are analytics cookies that help us to improve the way our website works.
These are used to improve the functional performance of the website and make it easier for you to use.