Arcadis claims strong support for revised Hyder takeover bid

摘要

Arcadis chief executive Neil McArthur has told NCE that he is confident that his firm will secure Hyder Consulting after upping its offer late last month. The Dutch giant has offered 73op per share for Hyder, trumping Japanese consultant Nippon Koei's earlier offer of 68op per share, itself an improvement on Hyder's original offer in July. Nippon Koei said it was considering its position and would make a further announcement in due course, sparking the possibility of a prolonged bidding war. But McArthur said the Hyder board or directors had sent a clear message of support for the Arcadis bid by deciding to sell their own Hyder shares to Arcadis at the new offer price. "I can't speak for any other player in the market," he said when asked by NCE whether a further bid from Nippon Koei was anticipated. "I would point to the very strong signal from the board when they sold their shares.