takeover bid strategy - a very interesting read...

Should you chase the takeover targets?
In 2004 it seemed that every second high-profile firm around the world was either taking a firm over or being taken over itself. In the US, Cingular bought AT&T Wireless, for example, and, in the UK, Banco Santander bought Abbey National, and the on-off saga of Marks & Spencer (M&S) occupied column inches for weeks on end. But according to the investment bankers, we havent seen anything yet. Theres no reason to doubt their prediction. As John Plender points out in the FT, they know at first hand what is in the merger and acquisition (M&A) pipeline. And if they are right, its excellent news for investors: share prices tend to soar when bids are announced.

Take the case of Aggregate Industries. Three months ago, Sandy Cross of Williams de Broe tipped the building materials firm in MoneyWeek at 95p, saying that it looked a manageable size for a predator. He was right. This week, Switzerlands Holcim said it intends to bid $1.78bn or 138p a share for Aggregate Industries. Today, the shares are trading at around 145p - anyone who bought in November is sitting on a 53% gain.

So if this really is the start of the year of the deal, wheres the best place for investors to place their bets? There is scope for consolidation in all sorts of sectors, from telecoms equipment to travel, all over Europe, but in the UK it is the retail sector that is getting all the attention. Analysts have long been warning that British retailers were going to have a nasty end to 2004 and a worse beginning to 2005, and Christmas seems to have been every bit as poor as the pessimists feared, says Chris Brown-Humes, also in the FT. Higher interest rates, a weak housing market, record levels of personal debt, higher utility bills and increased public transport costs are all squeezing the ability and desire of households to keep spending. The result? A lot of our retailers are suffering and that could make them easy pickings for predators. Indeed, one of the only things supporting retailers share prices right now is the prospect of takeover activity.
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Venture capitalists are still on the prowl, as is the Icelandic retailer Baugur, and Tesco and Asda might make a move on a rival. All of which leaves investors simply having to guess who the targets will be.

Betting on who they might be has become the latest City investment craze, says Simon Nixon on www.Breakingviews.com. But it isnt hard. M&S and JJB Sports saw their share prices rise even as they announced rubbish numbers as investors calculated this increased the likelihood of a takeover. Perhaps Philip Green will comes back and have another go at M&S.

Other possible targets include J Sainsbury, N Brown, MFI, Matalan and French Connection. But is betting on these firms wise? Debt is now cheap and plentiful, so potential bidders are awash with cash, but if the spending downturn gathers pace, that will change and takeovers will suddenly be harder to finance. And not all the dogs of the retail sector will be rescued by a bid. Some will just go bust instead. As Simon Watkins points out in The Mail on Sunday, some already have. Since Christmas, Scottish carpet maker Stoddard International has gone into administration because of tough trading at its key customer Allied Carpets, and fashion chain Pilot went into receivership as sales fell. These were both private companies, but the lesson is clear. If you are chasing takeover targets, make sure you go for firms that will survive even if they are forced to go it alone.

Woolworths is every inch a major takeover and worth following, a great opportunity if it materialises, the time is ripe once again -58p was recent target price.
remember Doing your research reaps rewards.

hangon I agree but dont forget the "sloths" at the FSA need some publicity after the NRK debacle.

I could agree, that would be easy
- but really it is more like the Regulator wasn't watching NRK...because they were wasting effort on WLW.
+I understand no-one was to blame at WLW, so it begs the question...if [WLW] shareholders were disadvantaged 30 months ago.... why compound the problem by "fining" ( or is that a Corporate Tax for unspecified reasons?)....this fine has disadvantaged shareholders a further -4% today!
Copuldn't they try to match cause and effect, say within a Month? _WLW has said it won't contest the Fine, because of the cost and Management time - so that's alright then...take the cash out of the shareholder's kitty. But it's MY CASH . . . . and I had no hand in the Market News errors.

A simple "sign our protest" at Woolworth's counters would elicit many of the Public to react against the FSA - has Management got something better to do? I wonder what that might be. . . . . and might make the Market react positivly. I suspect most folk see these fines as little different from congestion-charges, parking fines and the like - TAX on the Public. A Basket of chocolates marked ( "priced to pay for the fine") would give the Public the opportunity to see the fine....as surely they must, as a price-rise over the next year....
I think it shows a total lack of guts, by management.
Er, yet again they fail the tests put before them.

Not a WLW holder (thankfully) but you are right hangon and the company cannot really afford it.Who gets the fine, the Treasury or the FSA? Wonder what targets they have.Pity they don't spend their time investigating and fining those who make use of inside information ( they do not say in this case whether they believe any use was made of the non-disclosure) - not very difficult if they were to apply themselves.

hangon---- of course it's a tax on the shareholders, how often have we heard this water co or this financial co has been fined by the FSA, who suffers, the shareholders and the consumers, in the case of water co's our rates go up and in the case of financial co's, the returns (endowments) suffer. Who gets the spondulux from the fines? I have no idea but would guess some fat cat dipsticks. So it's an easy peasy for the FSA (financial squeeze of assets).
2517

John Lewis Partnership said week to June 7th sales at its UK department stores increased 2.1% to 46.1m.

This breaks a four-week sequence of falling sales for the employee-owned retailer.

In the previous four weeks department store sales had fallen 4.7%, 2.8%, 1.8% and 4.3%.

'An excellent fashion performance together with a resurgent EHT (electrical and home technology) led to a move back to positive growth versus last year. The 2.1% increase was particularly pleasing in the current economic climate,' said the retailer.

However, the outcome was boosted by a first full week of sales from the new relocated Liverpool store and only three existing branches, Oxford Street, Kingston and Edinburgh, and the johnlewis.com internet site were in positive sales territory.

Sales at the group's chain of 189 Waitrose supermarkets increased 5% to 79.6m.

'A good week's trading, where the weather improved through the week leading to excellent trade on Saturday (June 7) as customers changed to outdoor eating,' John Lewis said of the Waitrose outturn.

Total Partnership sales rose 3.9% to 125.7m.

John Lewis' weekly sales data is closely watched as it is regarded as a bellwether of consumer sentiment.

UK consumer spending has slowed sharply in recent months, with UK shoppers hit by higher bills and a weakening housing market. Sales of so called 'big ticket' items have been particularly badly affected.

John Lewis has an advantage over other retailers, the greedy MP's spend OUR money there, furnishing their homes. So I'm not surprised their sales are up.
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anyone going to WLW agm....18th June08, in London?

It will be interesting if someone has the nerve to ask who fouled-up ( these FSA regulations), and why they are still there?
We know the answer will be weasel words,. . . . employee training, . . . now left the Co, etc.. . . . but the real question is Who was overseeing them - the FD - ultimately I presume....has he contributed to the fine...?
-My guess is that the agm-cost is of a similar level; so next year we can expect to meet under the Rly Bridge at Blackfriars. Bring your own biscuits and orange drink.
+It is interesting to compare 3-years WLW with Templeton Emerging markets - [TEM] - makes you weep....should have bought TEM.........twice as wealthy, compared with WLW.......oh deary.....

I am sure it will not have gone unnoticed that WLW is selling the leaseholds of 4 shops in London for a profit of 20million. Presumably these properties are in good retail locations otherwise Waitrose wouldn't be buying. The question is what are the remaining 7-800 leaseholds worth? We all know WLW has a shop on most high streets usually prime retail locations so if they start offering these to other retailers will WLW realise more than the current market capitalisation?

Halifax - a Q that needs an answer, sadly it didn't grip anyone enough ( at the AGM, today) to ask....for it means WLW is "down" by four stores.....and I presume they aren't "one lump".... so they could be redeveloped . . . but maybe Waitrose has the cash to rebuild so the GF is a car-park and sales floors upstairs. Sainbury did this at Colliers Wood (nr Wimbledon), at least 10years ago.

((It might be a decent return (this time) -but no business can sell its stores without a strong web-presence and a delivery system to back it up......something that WLW is never likely to achieve, IMHO))

My guess is that WLW wanted the cash "more than" those sites would yield profits in the next 2-3 years - so the Directors could look slightly better than ditchwater.
......FWIW, I suspect it will be new developments near Olympics....now to be really smart WLW would have negotiated an in-store outlet!

+Incidently, do you have a view on SCS Upholstery?

what is this.....pick the crappiest shares competition, lol

hangon not looking good for SCS unless their bankers continue to support them admin looms.

As regards WLW maybe they are changing their strategy and looking to capitalise on valuable high street sites and moving sales to the web.

Sorry chaps this is a dead duck!!
A big sell!!!

i agree transco......you only need to walk into woolies to know not to buy shares in this outfit. also, retail is bad news right now.
maybe wait for a couple of years to see if things improve

Correct Scot completely lost and dead in the water!! imho

Maybe not - it depends on "who" they get to replace the complacent B-J.

A new figurehead might make something from this weak team. It can hardly get worse!

They are increasing footfall, but haven't yet boosted spend. The store-sales were opportunities they can't be blamed for taking. The cash is always useful. I hold a few. I don't think they should have taken the FSA=fine lying down - what else were Execs about to do with their precious time?

I don't think this business will be taken over, other than to grab the floorspace. The business model is as close to broke as possible - but it just needs to a little better in most departments - and that would be resorative, IMHO.

a new person....and a good one!.....this will take at least a year to bear fruit and probably 2 years.

anyway, down again a fair chunk today.....also market is poor and this alone with bad retail will mean share wont perform for next 2 years.

best check it out in 2010 to see where it is.

now under 8p

Whats happening ...

someone handed back a tube of smarties, lol