(Alliance News) - Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC will go to auction, a UK watchdog said on Wednesday, concluding a three-month bidding battle for the Bradford-based supermarket chain.
The UK Takeover Panel said the auction will take place over five rounds, all on Saturday. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and Softbank Group Corp-owned Fortress, are the two suitors vying to acquire the FTSE 100-listed grocer.
At the start of July, Morrisons agreed a GBP6.3 billion deal from a consortium of investment groups including Fortress, which was later increased to 272 pence, plus a special 2p dividend for each Morrisons share.
It came after Morrisons rejected a first CD&R proposal worth GBP5.5 billion.
However, Morrisons later accepted a GBP7.0 billion takeover offer from CD&R, which aimed to win minds with the increased bid and hearts by including Terry Leahy as an adviser. Former Tesco PLC chief executive Leahy said he knew late Morrisons char Ken Morrison well and understood his "values and vision".
The Takeover Panel called an auction to "provide an orderly framework for the resolution of this competitive situation", it said on Wednesday.
At the auction, either suitor can make an increased bid on the first round, but if no increased bid is made, a further three further rounds will be used to ping pong larger bids between Fortress and CD&R.
If a buyer has not been established by round four, the fifth round will require both suitors to make an increased bid.
The companies cannot disclose any increased bids to the public during the auction.
Morrisons saw its share price surge in recent months due to its M&A prospects, re-entering the blue-chip FTSE 100 index this month after a demotion in March.
Morrisons shares were up 1.3% at 295.80 pence in London on Wednesday morning.
By Josie O'Brien; josieobrien@alliancenews.com
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