(Adds Etro; Updates Nielsen, Creval)
April 19 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers,
acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1950 GMT on Monday:
** Italian fashion group Etro said it was assessing possible
partnerships to drive future growth after reports of interest
from buyout firm L Catterton. Melrose Industries MRON.L has agreed to sell its Nortek
Air Management business for about 2.62 billion pounds ($3.63
billion) and plans to use the proceeds to pay down debt, reduce
a UK pension deficit and return cash to shareholders.
The UK government will look into the national security
implications of U.S. group Nvidia's NVDA.O purchase of British
chip designer ARM Holdings, it said, putting a question mark
over the $40 billion deal. ** Oaktree Capital Group OAK_pa.N has proposed funding a
A$3 billion ($2.3 billion) buyback by Australia's Crown Resorts
Ltd CWN.AX of its founder's stake, setting up a clash with
rival Blackstone Group BX.N for the troubled casino firm's
future. Gulf Energy Development GULF.BK , Thailand's biggest
power producer run by billionaire Sarath Ratanavadi, offered a
$5.4 billion bid for Intouch Holdings INTUCH.BK , which
controls the country's top mobile phone operator AIS.
Siris Capital has submitted a non-binding proposal to buy
British outsourcer Equiniti EQN.L for 624.3 million pounds
($864.6 million) in cash, the U.S. equity firm said, confirming
months of media speculation about a bid. Mastercard Inc MA.N said it had agreed to buy digital
identity verification company Ekata in a deal valued at $850
million, as the global payments processor bets on a boom in
demand for companies in the digital security space. British market research firm Kantar said it has clinched
a deal to buy U.S. rival Numerator from Vista Equity Partners as
it seeks to boost its presence overseas and better compete with
the likes of Nielsen NLSN.N in gathering data on consumer
behaviour. Brazil's JBS will buy Dutch vegetable-based protein
company Vivera for 341 million euros ($408.11 million), as the
world's largest meatpacker expands its offerings to appeal to
those who want to eat less meat, it said in a securities filing.
Shares in CNH Industrial CNHI.MI fell as much as 5.4%
on Monday after the vehicle and equipment maker said over the
weekend it had ended talks to sell its truckmaker unit Iveco to
China's FAW Jiefang 000800.SZ . Creval PCVI.MI said the higher takeover price offered
by Credit Agricole CAGR.PA to buy the Italian lender was still
inadequate, in a blow to the French group's plan to expand in
its biggest market outside France. China's Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining 600988.SS canceled
an agreement to buy the Bibiani gold mine in Ghana, saying it
had not received timely information from the seller about the
termination of the mining lease. Nigeria's biggest lender Access Bank ACCESS.LG said it
has agreed to buy a majority stake in African Banking
Corporation of Botswana ABC.BT for cash, a month after it
acquired a South African bank. Tribune Publishing Co TPCO.O said Swiss billionaire
Hansjoerg Wyss had decided to leave a group that had made a $680
million approach for the owner of the Chicago Tribune and the
New York Daily News.