| SA group bids £950m for auction siteBy Maggie Urryand Philip Stafford Published: December 18 2007 08:25 | Last updated: December 18 2007 08:36The colourful life of Tradus , the internet auction site known formerly as QXL Ricardo, may be at an end after it recommended a £946m offer from Naspers, a South African media group.The bid will let Naspers expand into eastern Europe, where Tradus has built a strong presence.The deal is worth £18 per share in cash and represents a 19.2 per cent premium to the share price the day before Tradus confirmed it had received a bid approach, in early November.Tradus shares closed 195p higher at £18.15 on hopes that other contenders could be drawn into a bidding war. Market speculation had suggested a bid from eBay or Alibaba.com, the Chinese internet company, when Tradus first said it had received a preliminary approach.However, two leading shareholders, whose combined holding is 17.9 per cent, have backed the deal. [ Read Full Article ]© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2007 |