Metro In Talks With Karstadt, Signa On Kaufhof Sale
2011年11月2日 - 9:43PM
Dow Jones News
German retailer Metro AG (MEO.XE) confirmed Wednesday it is in
talks with investor Nicolas Berggruen and Austrian-based Signa on
the possible disposal of its Kaufhof department store chain.
"Talks are at an initial stage," Metro spokesman Kilian Roetzer
said, responding to a report from newspaper group WAZ that says
Berggruen has made an offer for Kaufhof. Berggruen is also an
investor in German retail chain Karstadt.
Citing people close to the matter, the report says Berggruen
wants to combine Kaufhof and Karstadt. The report notes the Metro
Group's supervisory board will meet Wednesday.
German business daily Handelsblatt reported Tuesday that Greek
investor George Economou, an investor in real estate group Signa,
is also interested in bidding for Kaufhof.
According to the report, Signa will bid a minimum of EUR2.4
billion.
The spokesman declined to comment on potential bids for Kaufhof,
but said the amount mentioned in the Handelsblatt report indicates
that Signa's intentions are serious.
A spokesman for Signa wasn't immediately available for comment
to Dow Jones Newswires.
-By Natali Schwab, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 69 29725119;
natali.schwab@dowjones.com