Bang & Olufsens kinesiske partner Sparkle Roll, der hjælper med salget i Kina, bekræfter i dag i en børsmeddelelse, at de er interesserede i at købe det danske selskab for en ”fornuftig pris”. De kalder B&O en ”fantastisk virksomhed”, men mener, at B&O har brug for en ”anden ejerstruktur”.
B&O kan blive kinesisk
Bang & Olufsen og Sparkle Roll har siden 2012 samarbejdet om at sælge B&O-produkter i Kina. Sparkle Roll ejer allerede 5,57 procent af aktierne i det danske selskab og sælger desuden luksusvarer indenfor biler, ure og vine.
Da Bang & Olufsen forleden annoncerede et strategisk partnerskab med LG, som skal gøre det muligt bl.a. at lancere virksomhedens første OLED-tv, sagde de også, at der var fortsat dialog med en interesseret køber.
Denne potentielle køber ser ud til at være netop Sparkle Roll, som understreger, at de ønsker fuldt ejerskab over Bang & Olufsen. Deres bestyrelsesformand, Qi Jianhong, siger i dag:
- “Sparkle Roll has followed Bang & Olufsen since 2012 and we are enthusiastic about the company. We are excited about the products, its innovation power and the intrinsic value of the unique Danish brand recognised across the globe. We strongly believe that Bang & Olufsen would benefit from a different ownership structure than the present in order for the company to free up resources as well as accelerate growth and consolidation. As a result, we have explored the possibility of making a public offer for all shares in Bang & Olufsen.”
Qi Jianhong uddbyder:
- “However, while we continue working towards being in a position to make a public offer for all shares of Bang & Olufsen, several elements remain to be resolved. In any case, a condition for making an offer is that we are comfortable it will be possible for us to acquire all shares in Bang & Olufsen at a price we find reasonable, reflecting the potential of the company but also the significant uncertainty and the investments needed to ensure further development and growth”.
Sparkle Roll har hovedsæde i Hongkong. Vælger partnerne at gå videre med dialogen kan Bang & Olufsen således ende med at blive kinesisk ejet.
