Third Hills bid did not make sense says Rank boss

Rank chief executive Henry Birch said the company was never going to 'overbid' for William HillCredit: David Dew

A third bid for William Hill "did not make sense", Rank chief executive Henry Birch said on Tuesday as the company unveiled its full year financial results.

Rank had teamed up with 888 Holdings to make an audacious £3 billion-plus bid for the bookmaking giant but abandoned its plans last week following two offers, saying it had not been possible to "meaningfully engage" with the William Hill board.

Birch, himself a former head of William Hill's online business, told analysts: "From a pricing perspective we were never going to overbid for William Hill.

Read the full story

Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.

Subscribe to unlock

Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data

Already a subscriber?Log in

Bill BarberIndustry editor

Published on 23 August 2016inNews

Last updated 17:08, 23 August 2016

Copy