Europe Movers: BBC Worldwide, Sainsbury, Ryanair, William Hill, Zigg

Nigel Thomas
19 Mar, 2013
New York City

BBC Worldwide agreed to sell Lonely Planet to NC2 Media for

[R]2:50 PM Frankfurt – BBC Worldwide agreed to sell Lonely Planet to NC2 Media for £51.5 million. Sainsbury profit for the year declined 7% to £598 million. Ryanair agreed to buy 175 new aircrafts from Boeing valued at a list price of $15.6 billion.[/R]

In London trading, FTSE 100 index rose 0.1% or 9.5 to 6,467 and in Frankfurt, the DAX index fell 0.2% to 18.5 to 7,992. In Paris, CAC 40 index slipped 0.6% or 21.6 to 3,804.

BBC Worldwide Limited, the UK based entertainment media the commercial arm of the BBC, said today that it has agreed to sell the travel guide business Lonely Planet to NC2 Media for £51.5 million.

""Although this did not prove to be a good commercial investment, given the significant financial loss” said Diane Coyle, chairman of BBC Trust and added “Worldwide would not make this sort of acquisition again.”

J Sainsbury Plc gained 1.5% to 370.73 pence after the UK based grocery retailer reported revenue for the year ending in December climbed 5.7% to £22.3 billion from £21.1 billion a year ago.

Profit for the year declined 7% to £598 million compared to £640 million from a year ago. Diluted earnings per share dropped 6.8% to 31.5 pence from 33.8 pence a year ago.

Ryanair Holdings plc climbed 3.6% to €6.01 after the Ireland based low-cost airline company signed an agreement with Boeing to purchase 175 737-800 aircraft worth at a list price of $15.6 billion.

The deal will be the Boeing’s largest order to date in 2013 and will be the largest ever aircraft order from a European airline.

William Hill Plc declined 5.3% to 385.90 pence after the UK based gambling company shareholders approved an acquisition for 29% stake in Genuity Services Limited ""Playtech"" for total cash consideration of £423.75 million.

Ziggo NV dropped 3.9% to €24.85 after the Netherlands based cable television operator said shareholders Cinven Ltd and Warburg Pincus LLC plan to reduce stake of 20%.

Yesterday, the Ziggo said it has received commitments from a number of banks to provide a new €800 million of the new credit facility of a €400 million revolving credit facility and a €400 million term loan A.

These facilities are provided by ABN Amro Bank N.V., BNP Paribas Fortis SA, Credit Suisse AG, Goldman Sachs International, J.P. Morgan Limited, Morgan Stanley and others.