Enterprise Inns and Noble House Leisure are preferred joint bidders for the 650-700 pubs Scottish & Newcastle has put up for sale.
They are expected to sign a deal with six weeks at a cost of about £350-£400m for the managed pubs. Noble House would take about 250 of the outlets.
The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries board will meet today to consider indicative offers. It is thought the company might decide to go ahead and rationalise its brewing operation while it continues to push for a firm offer.
Financial Times 23/04/01 page 29 (Weekend Press Briefing)
The Daily Telegraph 23/04/01 page 27
The Times 23/04/01 page 21
The Independent 23/04/01 page 16 (What The Sunday Business Papers Said)
The Guardian 23/04/01 page 23 (Monday briefing)
