MELBOURNE (Reuters) – First Reserve Corp, the biggest shareholder in Australia’s Whitehaven Coal (WHC.AX), on Tuesday denied media reports it was looking to buy out Whitehaven and denied any rift with Whitehaven management. “FRC is not involved in any consortium, or in any proposed consortium, to privatise WHC,” First Reserve Corp said in a statement. […]
Google and Games: Google, which hasn’t made much headway in social networking, is looking to use games like Slide and Jambool to compete in the sector. BP Invests $3 Bln: British Petroleum, which is receiving much nicer press now, has made an initial $3 billion deposit into the $20 billion spill recovery fund. Web Proposal: Google and Verizon called on legislators to enact laws to prevent Internet carriers from blocking web sites or selectively delaying access to content common on the Internet. Big Tummies and Death: Men and women with more fat on their waistline have a higher risk of dying. So put down that doughnut. Making Drugs Legal: Vincente Fernandez, Mexicos' ex-president, said that country should legalize drugs to stop the rising cartel violence. Another Health Auction: Air Medical is receiving bids from Bain Capital and Warburg Pincus. Detroit Pistons Bid: Michael Ilitch, who owns the Little Ceasars Pizza chain as well as professional baseball and ice hockey teams, wants to buy the Detroit Pistons basketball team. Wash AG Settlement: Washington Attorney General is expected to announce Tuesday a settlement with an Internet company. TechCrunch hopes its Intellius.
Brenda Barnes stepped down today as Sara Lee Corp.’s chairwoman and CEO, but her departure should have little effect on the company’s planned sale of its bread business. Barnes, who has been on medical leave since May 14 because of a stroke, is leaving Sara Lee to focus on her health. The Downers Grove, Ill.-based company is now searching for a successor and is considering both internal and external candidates. “This is no big news,” says one banker. “It was expected that she would leave for health reasons.” Barnes has been CEO for five years. Under her tenure, Sara Lee has sold off several units, including its body-care business and air-freshener unit. In July, Sara Lee put its North American bread unit up for sale. BofA was hired to advise on the auction.
UniCredit Group’s possible sale of Pioneer Investments is getting some interest from European banks and asset managers, according to press reports. Possible suitors include Natixis, BNP Paribas, Soceite General and Amundi, the asset management joint venture owned by SocGen and Credit Agricole. Laurent Mignon, Natixis CEO, told our friends at Reuters that a deal “would only make sense in the form of a long-lasting sales partnership."
Quad-C Management has acquired Joerns Healthcare, a provider of furniture and equipment for healthcare facilities, from Vestar Capital Partners and Park Avenue Equity Partners. No financial terms were disclosed.
Regency Energy Partners has agreed to acquire Zephyr Gas Services, a Houston-based field services company, for $185 million.
AXA Private Equity has acquired a 51.8% stake in RollOn Group, an Italty-based maker of guides and actuators used in machine design applications for railways and other industries. No financial terms were disclosed.
Aug 9 (Reuters) – U.S. firms First Reserve and Alpha Natural Resources (ANR.N) are considering a $2.75 billion buyout of Australia’s Whitehaven Coal (WHC.AX), a newspaper said, as the coal firm confirmed it has had a data room open to suitors for some time. Whitehaven shares jumped as much as 5.2 percent to a record […]
MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish builder ACS (ACS.MC) is set to sign a 3 billion euro ($4 billion) deal to sell part of its stake in infrastructure group Abertis (ABE.MC) to CVC Capital Partners [CVC.UL], Expansion newspaper reported. A new joint venture, in which Luxembourg-based fund CVC would hold a 60 percent stake and ACS […]
(Reuters) – Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp (NWSA.O) said on Monday it will sell a controlling stake in its three China TV channels to a private equity fund backed by Shanghai Media Group (SMG), China’s No.2 media company. The deal would see China Media Capital acquire a controlling stake in News Corp’s Xing Kong, Xing Kong […]