Qatar mulls bid for British retail icon Marks & Spencer
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LONDON (AFP) - Qatar is considering an 8 billion-pound (S$15.1 billion) bid for British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S), according to Britain's Sunday Times.
The Gulf state's sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, has approached leading banks and private equity houses ahead of a potential move on the high street chain, senior sources in London's financial industry told the broadsheet.
M&S, which sells clothes, food and homeware, was founded in 1884 and was once one of the world's most profitable retailing company. But it has struggled from poor clothing sales in recent years. Its sales over the last quarter sank 1.8 per cent compared to the previous year.
Shares in the retailer closed at 372.5 pence on Friday, giving it a value of 6 billion pounds.
