(Adds Pepco, Telecom Italia , FCC , Kirchhofer)
March 4 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers,
acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2050 GMT on Friday:
** Pepco Holdings Inc POM.N , which is awaiting regulatory
approval from Washington DC for its acquisition by Exelon Corp (NYSE:EXC)
EXC.N , said the two utilities have not extended the deadline
to close the deal, but were in talks with state
authorities. Italian phone company Telecom Italia TLIT.MI wants to
reach an agreement with investors in fiber optic company
Metroweb in coming weeks to development of a broadband network
in Italy, two sources close to the matter said. Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim's holding company
Inversora Carso GCARSOA1.MX said it would launch a full
takeover bid for Spanish building and infrastructure company FCC
FCC.MC at a price of 7.60 euros ($8.36) per share.
Swiss luxury watch and jewellery retailer Kirchhofer is
up for sale, three sources close to the matter told
Reuters. AMC Entertainment Holdings AMC.N will acquire Carmike
Cinemas Inc CKEC.O in a deal valued at about $1.1 billion,
including debt, making the combined company the largest U.S.
theater chain. Northern Trust Corp NTRS.O is beefing up its
alternative assets business by buying hedge fund manager Aurora
Investment Management, the trust bank said. Elliott Management Corp bought a large stake in Qlik
Technologies Inc QLIK.O , saying on Thursday that shares are
cheap and the data analytics company is ripe for being taken
over by a larger technology peer. Private equity firm Carlyle Group LP CG.O is exploring
a sale of Zodiac Pool Solutions SAS, hoping a deal will value
the U.S. swimming pool and spa equipment maker at more than $800
million, including debt, according to people familiar with the
matter. The London Stock Exchange Group LSE.L said a potential
merger with Deutsche Boerse DB1Gn.DE would be "compelling" as
potential rival bidders line-up for the British company which
reported a jump in profits on Friday. Mobile payment processor Monitise Plc MONI.L said it
was in early talks to potentially sell its marketing content
business, Markco Media, in a bid to transition to cloud-based
services. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and state-owned
Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co are among the
lead bidders for a minority stake in the agriculture unit of
Glencore Plc GLEN.L , Bloomberg reported on Friday.
Canadian miner Endeavour Mining Corp EDV.TO agreed to
buy True Gold Mining Inc TGM.V for about C$240 million in
stock giving it access to a low-cost gold mine nearing
production in Burkina Faso. Argentina's new telecoms regulator on Thursday approved
Telecom Italia's TLIT.MI sale of its controlling stake in
Telecom Argentina TEC2.BA to investment firm Fintech, a source
at the regulator said. Samsonite International S.A. 1910.HK said on Friday it
would buy Tumi Holdings Inc TUMI.N for $26.75 per share in an
all-cash transaction valuing Tumi at $1.8 billion, as the
world's biggest luggage group expands in the luxury market.
Macquarie Group MQG.AX said it has entered into an
agreement to sell its life insurance business to Zurich
Australia Ltd. It did not disclose the terms of the transaction
but said it was "not material" to the group. A consortium seeking to buy Australia's biggest wheat
exporter, Co-operative Bulk Handling Ltd, is stepping up
lobbying for its offer amid concerns the deal may be snubbed and
reports of a rival Chinese bidder. French hotels group AccorHotels ACCP.PA on Friday
denied a report which said it was in talks to acquire Carlson
Rezidor, the operator of Radisson hotels. Thailand's Berli Jucker Pcl BJC.BK has tapped foreign
banks including BNP Paribas BNPP.PA as well as domestic
lenders to raise $6.2 billion for its acquisition of Big C
Supercenter BIGC.BK , putting it on track to successfully meet
a March 31 financing deadline. Indebted Russian miner Mechel MTLR.MM is in talks to
sell part of its Elga coal project to creditor Gazprombank
GZPRI.RTS and plans to complete the deal by the end of this
quarter, Mechel Chief Executive Oleg Korzhov told journalists on
Friday. Private equity firm AnaCap Financial Partners said on
Friday it had bought two portfolios of Italian non-performing
loans together worth more than 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion)
from GE Capital Real Estate and the Royal Bank of Scotland
RBS.L . Serbia has invited bids for its loss-making Zelezara
Smederevo steel mill, marking the latest stage in attempts to
find a solution to the plant which has been swallowing $120
million a year in subsidies since it was nationalized in 2012.