Superdrug owner makes bid for Holland & Barrett

The company behind Superdrug has made an indicative offer for health products retailer Holland & Barrett.

AS Watson Group, part of the Hong Kong-based giant CK Hutchison Holdings, has put in an indicative offer that values Holland & Barrett at over £1 billion. Takeover talks have begun, and are at a “relatively early stage”.

Holland & Barrett, which is part of NBTY, is also receiving interest from private equity firms and other retail investors.

It’s private equity owner Carlyle is aiming for a sale of NBTY in its entirety. The largest portion of NBTY is Nature’s Bounty, which makes and retails nutritional products. A sale of NBTY would command a figure of around $6bn, yet Carlyle is clearly open minded and is now considering bids for parts of the group.

Holland & Barrett sells its products from almost 1,400 shops across 16 countries, about half of these are in the UK. Based in Warwickshire, it employs about 350 people at its head office and thousands in its outlets.

AS Watson owns The Perfume Shop and Savers, as well as Superdrug.

Find retailers for sale

Subscribe to the Business Sale Report

Share this article

Latest Businesses for Sale

View more businesses for sale