British online fashion retailer ASOS has emerged as a surprise front-runner to buy the Topshop brand from the administrators of British tycoon Philip Green's Arcadia Group, Sky News reported on Saturday.
ASOS is in the lead to buy the brand for more than £250 million ($342.1m), the report said.
ASOS and Arcadia declined to comment.
Retailer Next said on Thursday it had pulled out of the bidding as it was unable to meet the price expectations of the collapsed fashion chain.
ASOS is not holding any talks about buying Topshop stores, Sky News said, citing unnamed insiders. But it was also keen to acquire Arcadia's Miss Selfridge brand alongside Topshop and Topman, Sky said.
ASOS is competing against rivals including Boohoo Group , US retailer Authentic Brands Group, which is working with JD Sports Fashion, and Chinese fashion group Shein, the report added.
Arcadia went into administration in November, putting more than 13,000 jobs at risk and becoming Britain's biggest corporate casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
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'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
