Under pressure from US activist funds to pursue a break-up, Dutch retailing group Ahold seems to be doing the opposite, according to Dutch business newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad, which reports that the group is looking at buying Hema, a local retail franchise, for more than €1bn.
Hema is owned by Maxeda, the Dutch retailing group that was taken private by KKR, Permira, Cinven and Alpinvest in 2004. The 335-strong chain, specialising in clothing and household supplies, was put up for sale by Maxeda last month, with Maxeda saying at the time that it had already had a number of expressions of interest in the business. As well as stores in Holland, Hema also has outlets in Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg.
Meanwhile, in the US, in a move apparently aimed at appeasing vocal critics amongst its investors, Ahold is in the process of selling its US Foodservice catering supplies business.