30 July, 2000

Financier wants Taittinger back

The ink is hardly dry on the sales agreement of American Starwood Capitals purchase of the Societé du Louvre, before rumours have it that a new sale is just around the corner.

In yesterdays edition of Le Figaro one of the main players, the Belgian financier Albert Frere, confirms that he considers buying the Taittinger-champagne back. Only weeks after Taittinger, Baccarat-crystals and a hotel-empire were all up for sale because the same Albert Frere wanted his money out of the Societé du Louvre.

Now the financier says, that he with the Peugeot-family, who owned seven percent of the shares in Taittinger before the sale last week, is ready for at new bid on the prestigeous champagnehouse. On top of that the a-family is welcome to join forces, he says. The family has since the sale hinted that it is interested to continue with the champagne. A spokeswoman has to The Times confirmed that the family only sold the champagnebusiness because it was to complicated to split it from the rest of their activities.

The world of big finance may seem as inscrutable as this years sky in july in Champagne.

Another big house, Louis Roederer, is also mentioned as a possible buyer. Pernod Ricard, that recently has bought Allied Domecq and with it also Mumm and Perrier-Jouët and thus is back in Champagne, also examines the possibilities. But like the management of Louis Roederer the manager declines to comment on the speculations.

På dansk

No comments: