(Adds Gecina , Sovran Self Storage, Areva , Cinven, Enel ; Updates
Bayer)
May 19 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions
and disposals were reported by 1340 GMT on Thursday:
** German drugs and chemicals group Bayer AG BAYGn.DE has
made an unsolicited takeover proposal to U.S. seeds company
Monsanto (NYSE:MON) Co MON.N , aiming to create the world's biggest
agricultural supplier and take advantage of converging
pesticides and seeds markets. France's Technip TECF.PA announced an all-stock merger
with U.S. rival FMC Technologies (NYSE:FTI) FTI.N to create an oil
services group with combined revenue of $20 billion.
Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings and a
consortium that includes China Investment Corp (CIC) and KKR &
Co KKR.N have advanced to a second round of bidding for a
minority stake in Yum Brands Inc's YUM.N China unit, people
familiar with the matter told Reuters. Buyout firm Onex Corp OCX.TO has revived an auction for
Carestream Health that could value it at more than $3 billion,
including debt, and is exploring a breakup of the U.S. medical
imaging company, people familiar with the matter said.
French office property group Gecina GFCP.PA made a cash
offer worth at least 1.5 billion euros ($1.68 billion) for rival
Fonciere de Paris FDPA.PA , setting off a bidding war over some
prime property in the French capital. Real estate investment trust Sovran Self Storage Inc
SSS.N said it had agreed to buy privately owned self storage
operator LifeStorage LP for about $1.3 billion in cash to enter
markets including northern California, Las Vegas and Nevada.
Oil major BP Plc BP.L sold part of the stake its unit
Castrol Ltd holds in Castrol India Ltd CAST.NS , but said it
would remain a majority shareholder in the company. Italy's biggest utility Enel ENEI.MI has tabled a
formal offer to buy fibre-optic company Metroweb, two sources
close to the matter said on Thursday. Australian electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi Ltd JBH.AX
said on Thursday it was considering a buyout of appliances chain
the Good Guys Discount Warehouses (Australia) Pty Ltd, a deal
reported to be worth A$1 billion ($721 million). Private equity firm Cinven CINV.UL is considering a bid
for Restaurant Group Plc RTN.L , the owner of Mexican food
chains Chiquito and Joe's Kitchen, Sky News reported.
India's Tata Communications Ltd TATA.NS is selling a 74
percent stake in its data center business to Singapore-based ST
Telemedia for about $630 million including debt, the company
said. Australian wealth manager AMP Capital said it had reached
a deal to acquire the largest U.S. underground parking system
for $370 million in a joint venture with private equity firm
Northleaf Capital Partners. Pacific Exploration & Production Corp PRE.TO said its
board was in favor of a restructuring proposal submitted by
Catalyst Capital Group, after comparing it with a bid by EIG
Global Energy Partners. Norway's Yara International YAR.OL sees Vale SA's
VALE5.SA fertilizer business as one of several investment
opportunities, as the company eyes potential further
acquisitions in Brazil, its chief financial officer said on
Wednesday. French state-controlled nuclear group Areva AREVA.PA is
in talks with its Spanish partner Gamesa GAM.MC and Germany's
Siemens SIEGn.DE about a possible sale of Areva's stake in
offshore wind joint venture Adwen.