Lafarge raises Blue Circle 申し込む／申し出

By MALCOLM WITHERS
Updated: 00:00 BST, 19 April 2000

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The 戦う／戦い for 支配（する）／統制する of Britain's biggest 固く結び付ける 製造者, Blue Circle 産業s, turned bitter as French predator Lafarge 増加するd its 申し込む／申し出 to 450p a 株, making the 企て，努力，提案 価値（がある） £3.5bn.

Lafarge …を伴ってd its final 申し込む／申し出 with a 夜明け （警察の）手入れ，急襲 on the market to buy up to 184.6 million 株 or 20% of Blue Circle, sending its price up 2 1/2p to 436 1/2p at one 行う／開催する／段階 before it settled to an 不変の 434p. This price re flects the Lafarge 決定／判定勝ち（する） to 除外する a special 暫定的な （株主への）配当 of 10.5p payable to 株主s in June.

Lafarge chairman and 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある Bertrand Collomb 述べるd Blue Circle's 強健な defence since it 開始する，打ち上げるd its 敵意を持った 企て，努力，提案 in January as 訴える手段／行楽地ing to 'hyperbole regarding its 未来 prospects'.

Its 計画（する） to return 資本／首都 to 株主s would leave it 'doomed to remain a second 分割 player with neither the 規模 nor the 資源s to compete with the leaders in this 全世界の market', he 追加するd. Lafarge also said Blue Circle would disappoint 株主s unless it 受託するd the 企て，努力，提案.

However, Blue Circle 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある Rick Haythornthwaite 述べるd the 申し込む／申し出 as 'arrogant and disrespectful' and said Lafarge was 捜し出すing to get the company on the cheap.

分析家s believe Lafarge has pitched its 申し込む／申し出 too low as they were hoping for up to 500p a 株. Their 激しく揺する-底（に届く） price appears to have been 460p with most pitching it at 480p.

The 初めの 申し込む／申し出 from Lafarge attracted a meagre 2.59% 受託 from 株主s. The company defended its 増加するd 申し込む／申し出 by 説 it was at a 賞与金 of 43.2% to the price of Blue Circle 株 on 27 January - the day before the 企て，努力，提案 was 開始する，打ち上げるd. It pointed out that the 株 price has risen 31% since then.

Blue Circle ran into trouble with its Asian 操作／手術s last year, and that left the 株 price weak. Haythornthwaite （人命などを）奪う，主張するs to have turned around the Malaysian 操作／手術 since then, although Lafarge today 述べるd it as '欠陥d'.

The 最近の 傾向 の中で 基金 経営者／支配人s of buying old-economy 在庫／株s will have helped Blue Circle's 成果／努力s to fight off the 企て，努力，提案. The 株 攻撃する，衝突する a low of 269 1/2p in October and some 基金s have been buying them on hopes of a 回復.

Haythornthwaite will すぐに 開始する，打ち上げる a （選挙などの）運動をする to 説得する City 投資家s to 持つ／拘留する on to their 株.