Axel Springer and ProSiebenSat.1 are in Merger Talk

Nigel Thomas
07 Jul, 2015
New York City

Axel Springer and ProSiebenSat.1 AG are in merger talks. 3i Infrastructure and AMP agreed to acquire 50% stake in the Denmark-based ESVAGT for

[R]4:00 PM Frankfurt – Axel Springer and ProSiebenSat.1 AG are in merger talks. 3i Infrastructure and AMP agreed to acquire 50% stake in the Denmark-based ESVAGT for £109 million. Air Berlin passengers traffic in June declined 7%. ASOS revenues soared 21% to £397 million.[/R]

In London trading, FTSE 100 index decreased 0.2% or 10.32 to 6,525.03 and in Frankfurt the DAX index slid 0.4% or 38.56 to 10,852.19.

In Paris, CAC 40 index fell 0.6% or 29.69 to 4,682.92.

3i Infrastructure Plc rose 0.5% to 166.99 pence after the U.K.-based investment company and Australia-based AMP Capital jointly agreed to acquire 50% stake in the Denmark-based ESVAGT for about £109 million from A.P. Moller-Maersk.

The transaction is expected to close in September.

Air Berlin Plc was halted at €1.13 after the Germany-based airline company said total passengers traffic in June declined 7% to 3,023,700, capacity declined 8.5% and revenue passenger kilometers plunged 10% to 4.360 billion from a year ago month.

Monthly available seat kilometers slumped 9.5% to 5.216 billion from June 2014 and the capacity utilization rate edged down 0.4 percentage points to 83.6%.

The total number of passengers for the year decreased 4.1% from a year ago to 14,035,619.

Axel Springer SE jumped 3.5% to €48.94 after Wall Street Journal said the Germany-based publishing company and broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 AG are in talks to merge their businesses with a combined market capitalization of about €14.4 billion or $16 billion.

ASOS Plc slumped 3.6% to 3,714 pence after the U.K.-based online fashion retailer said total group revenues in the four-month ending in June soared 21% to £396.7 million from £329 million in a year ago period.

U.K. retail sales surged 27% to £158.4 million and international sales climbed 16% to £227.6 million from a year ago period. Sales in the U.S. jumped 43% to £44.5 million.

Eagle Eye Solutions Group Plc soared 5.8% to 210 pence after the U.K.-based information technology services provider secured a multi-year new contract with Sainsbury''s Stores Ltd for the deployment of its Eagle Eye AIR platform.

Marks and Spencer Group Plc slipped 1.1% to 541 pence after the specialty retailer said its full-year outlook remains unchanged as it reported group sales for the quarter ending on June 27 increased 1.8% and international sales increased 0.7%.