Current Account: The collapse in Chiquita's share price this week has once again sparked speculation that Fyffes could have the US banana group in its sights.
The huge cash pile husbanded at Fyffes by Neill McCann means that the Irish group could buy some 40 per cent of its rival without having to take on any debt, points out Merrion Capital.
Chiquita, of course, is not without its problems. This week the group reported a fourth-quarter loss of €26 million and celebrated 100 years on the New York Stock Exchange. However, its failure to give any forward guidance has spooked the market.
The company may be - in the words of its chairman and chief executive officer Cyrus Freidheim - one of the few on the big board to pass this milestone, but it has done so only by the skin of its teeth. The shares are currently at their lowest levels since it emerged from bankruptcy last year.
It is not the first time that Fyffes has been linked with a possible bid for one of its rivals, but the natural conservatism of the McCann troika - Neill and his two sons Carl and David - makes such a move seem an outside bet. The $400 million plus that it would cost to buy Chiquita is a very big step for a company that considers €30 million a big acquisition.
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