Lastminute shares climb on takeover rumours - TravelMole


Lastminute shares climb on takeover rumours

Wednesday, 24 Jul, 2003 0

Rumours that Lastminute.com could be about to be taken over by a US based travel company continue to gather pace.

Analysts believe that the fact that the online retailer’s shares have been trading at a consistently high level for over a month could mean that there is substance behind the speculation.

Likely bidders include US travel giant Cendant – which could certainly afford the purchase. It has recently acquired companies including Galileo, cheaptickets and car rental firm Budget. Other possible bidders include Expedia and Travelocity.

A link up with one of of the big three vertically integrated companies is also a possibility, with TUI the main contender. Earlier this month TUI took a majority stake in The First Resort which works closely with Sky Travel, while Lastminute unveiled details of a digital link up with Sky in June.

This morning (Thursday) Lastminute shares were trading at a year high of 214 pence after breaking the 200 pence earlier in the week. Meanwhile lastminute rival ebookers is also benefiting from the rumours – with its shares this morning also trading at a year high of 537pence.

A Lastminute spokeswoman said the company was unable to comment on market speculation.

See our recent stories:

14 Jul 2003TUI takes majority stake in The First Resort
13 Jun 2003Lastminute shares Sky-rocket
15 May 2003 Lastminute upbeat despite loss
31 Mar 2003 Interview: David Howell, chief financial officer, Lastminute.com
28 Mar 2003Lastminute’s DIY packages boosted by Holiday Autos deal
14 Oct 2002: Interview: Brent Hoberman, ceo and co-founder, lastminute.com
26 Aug 2002Cendant to buy Budget for $107.5m
19 Mar 2002 The TravelMole Interview: Helen Baker, Lastminute.com
14 Aug 2001Cendant buys Cheap Tickets
19 Jun 2001GDS firm Galileo sold to Cendant in $2.9 billion deal



Related News Stories:  



 



Most Read

Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene

Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee

Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail

Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats

Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence

Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy

Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida

Tricia Handley-Hughes of Inteletravel announces the location for the TravelQuest 2025 conference

Insights from James Ferrara on Inteletravel’s Growth and Future

Tricia Handley-Hughes on Inteletravel’s Growth and Challenges

Tony from Gatto’s Pizza on Columbus’s Unique Pizza Trail

Sophia Hyder Hock on Global Social Inclusion in Tourism
TRAINING & COMPETITION

Our emails to you has bounced travelmole.com Or You can change your email from your profile Setting Section

Your region selection will be saved in your cookie for future visits. Please enable your cookie for TravelMole.com so this dialog box will not come up again.

Price Based Country test mode enabled for testing United States (US). You should do tests on private browsing mode. Browse in private with Firefox, Chrome and Safari

true