De La Rue hit as suitor 'retires'

Shares in banknote printer De La Rue fell sharply yesterday after French suitor Oberthur decided to walk away from a potential deal.

By The Newsroom

Published 24th Jan 2011, 15:57 BST

Updated 24th Jan 2011, 20:43 BST

The French company said the "continued refusal of the board of De La Rue to engage in meaningful discussions" had led to its decision to withdraw just hours after an improved 935p-per-share offer had been rejected. De La Rue said it was confident it has a promising future as a standalone business.

Shares in De La Rue, which was hit by production problems last year, plunged 15.2 per cent - or 124.5p - to close at 695p, more than 25 per cent less than Oberthur's offer price.