Billionaire retail tycoon Mr Philip Green must make a formal bid for Marks & Spencer (M&S) by August 6th or abandon his takeover attempt.
Mr Green first indicated his interest in Britain's largest clothing retailer on May 27th but has yet to make a formal offer. He has been seeking financial information from M&S which has so far been denied as the board has rejected two proposals from him - the last one worth £8.4 billion sterling.
Through his bid vehicle Revival Acquisitions, Mr Green, who owns BHS and Arcadia fashion groups, is currently bypassing the M&S board to seek clarification of the firm's pension fund liabilities, which could affect the value of any offer he makes.
The latest annual report from M&S shows its pension fund deficit was £470 million at the beginning of April on an FRS17 accounting basis and net of deferred tax. Earlier in the year M&S injected £400 million into its pension scheme.
The M&S pension fund trustees plan to meet in the next couple of days to discuss their response to Mr Green's request. The trustees, led by Mr David Norgrove, former head of clothing at M&S, act independently of the firm.
