 Whittard has had a tough few months |
A consortium of Icelandic investors including Baugur has formally expressed interest in buying Whittard of Chelsea, reports say. Any deal is understood to involve merging the tea and coffee seller with health store company Julian Graves.
On Tuesday, Whittard confirmed it had received a takeover approach, sending its shares up in value by a fifth.
Whittard has struggled this year, reporting a fall in sales in October and warning about full-year prospects.
The company reported a 3.9% fall in like-for-like sales for the 20 weeks to 16 October in a "very tough" retail climate.
Recently, a Baugur-led consortium bought unlisted UK jeweller Mappin & Webb.
The Icelandic predator already owns Hamleys toystore, supermarket chain Big Food and the Mosaic fashion chain.
Whittard of Chelsea shares failed to respond to the latest speculation and traded unchanged at 87 pence during the morning.
One-Minute World News 
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