FILE PHOTO: A Tesco supermarket is seen at dusk in an 'art deco' style building at Perivale in west London, January 6, 2015. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoSINGAPORE: British retailer Tesco has asked bidders to submit binding offers for its Asian business by Friday , in a deal that will see Thai billionaires fight for an asset valued at up to US$9 billion, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Antitrust concerns could pose a challenge to some bidders as Thailand's antitrust office said last month that the deal should not violate anti-monopoly laws.Advertisement In the six months to Aug 24, Tesco's Thai and Malaysian businesses together generated sales of 2.56 billion pounds and operating profit of 171 million pounds.
Still, Tesco's business offers bidders a chance to scale up their portfolio significantly."How often do you get these assets in Thailand? And financing is so cheap," said another source.