Venture capitalists look likely to acquire the First Quench off licence chain after Parisa this week said it was no longer interested in making a bid. That leaves the field clear for Nomura, a major player in the UK on-trade, and PPM Ventures, both named as possible suitors. Parisa boss Nader Haghighi said: "With the polarisation of the UK drinks trade, investing further in off-licences market would not make strategic sense." Significantly, Haghighi's statement would also appear to rule out any bid from Parisa for Oddbins, put up for sale by Seagram. {{NEWS }}