Times Online- Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), the owner of the All Bar One and Harvester chains, admitted today several private equity firms had expressed interest in company and confirmed it has approached rival Punch Taverns about buying its £1.1 billion Spirit managed pubs division.
M&B said the board had stepped up talks with private equity investors, understood to be Permira, Bain Capital and a joint bid of Blackstone Group and CVC Capital Partners.
