饼干业务卖给卡夫食品，达能向荷兰婴儿食品厂商Numico发出123亿欧元的收购要约

Danone offers to acquire Numico for $17 billion

AGENCIES[ TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2007 06:03:38 AM]

摘要：法国食品集团达能(Danone)周一向荷兰同业Numico发出价值123亿欧元(168亿美元)的收购要约,称欲藉此创建全球最大的一家健康和营养产品公司. 而达能几天前刚刚同意出售其饼乾业务给卡夫食品.

Numico是欧洲最大的婴儿食品制造商,达能发出的全现金要约将其每股价格估为55欧元.其与Numico的谈判开始于三周前,此次发出的要约凸显了食品行业如火如荼的并购形势.

"我们可以说这是一次真正的友好收购...双方的地理互补性很强,"达能执行长Franck Riboud在电话会议中说,"我想这是对一个独特公司和一独特组合报出的合理价格."

早有分析师表示,Numico的婴儿食品业务与达能的奶制品业务和达能旗下的Bledina婴儿食品品牌形成很好的搭配.

Groupe Danone is making a e12.3 billion ($16.8 billion) bid for Dutch baby food company Royal Numico to reinforce its position in the health food business, less than a week after announcing the sale of its cookie unit, the French company said on Monday.

Danone and Numico expect “agreement can be reached” over the French food group’s e55 ($75) per share offer, which is a 44% premium over the average share price over the last three months, according to a joint statement.

“With this project, we are designing a new Groupe Danone, enhancing dramatically its growth profile and its growth potential for years to come,” Danone CEO Franck Riboud said.

Royal Numico CEO Jan Bennink said the offer was “a very attractive proposition for all of our stakeholders.” The bid, which Numico’s board will recommend to shareholders, is not expected to lead to job losses, both companies said. Bennink, a former Danone executive, will step down after the transaction is complete, the companies said on a conference call.

The Dutch company will keep its headquarters at Schiphol, near Amsterdam, the statement said. Speculation about an acquisition helped the stock to add 15% this month.

Last week, Kraft Foods offered to pay $7.2 billion for Danone’s cookie and cereal division. Shedding the cookie division would allow Danone to concentrate on its dairy products and water unit and provide funds for new projects, Riboud said last week.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon promised his government will not interfere in the deal, in contrast to his predecessor Dominique du Villepin who in 2005 turned Danone into the symbol of “economic patriotism” by vowing to defend it against a bid from PepsiCo.

Danone was one of 24 “national champions” identified by the French senate last month as being vulnerable to takeover bids after a report by Ernst & Young. Before the deal was announced, analysts said Danone, itself the subject of recurring speculation of a takeover by PepsiCo, may use the proceeds from Kraft to buy Numico and repel a bid by the US drinks maker. Traders and analysts had also speculated Pepsi could have been the bidder for Numico as the shares surged.

Numico said on Monday it will seek to withdraw its shares from trading “as soon as possible,” providing Danone’s offer is declared unconditional. Shareholders will be able to vote on the deal in an extraordinary meeting mid-September when the terms and conditions will be published. A settlement date is expected in early October.