Yesterday PayPoint claimed victory in its long-running battle to stop Camelot muscling in on its turf by offering commercial services via its tills.
And there was more good news for the payment provider today, having bagged a seven-year gig to replace the Post Office dishing out welfare payments.
Elsewhere, another lengthy saga has taken its latest twist, with Ranjit Boparan buying some more time to get the support needed for his takeover of Northern Foods. Between the chunk he already owns and those shareholders who’ve pledged their support for his bid, Boparan now has more than a third of the company onside.
He’s still got a way to go before crossing the threshold needed to complete his £342m deal. Clearly plenty of shareholders are hoping Greencore will come back to the table with a sweetened proposal to revive the Essenta tie-up.
For its part, Greencore hit back today with a not-very-dramatic statement of its own.
“Greencore confirms it is still considering its options in relation to Northern Foods and a further announcement will be made in due course," the company said today. Ker-pow!
In the City, opinion is sharply divided over whether an improved bid is likely to materialise. We’ll be taking a proper look at why Greencore might struggle to get the heavyweight backing it needs in Saturday’s issue.
Talking of deadlines, there’s only a week to go to get entries in for The Grocer Golds. The prestigious awards recognise excellence across a range of categories and competition is fierce, so get cracking on those applications ASAP.
More slices of Daily Bread
No comments yet