Review the sell-off of great British companies
The rules of the game are tilted to favour hostile takeovers. Too many great UK companies have disappeared, write Will Hutton and Phillip Blond
Kraft - Cadbury
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Cadbury’s 186 years of independence has ended after a majority of its shareholders accepted Kraft’s £11.7bn takeover offer
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Kraft to close Cadbury factory
The US food group confirms plans to shut Cadbury’s Somerdale factory near Bristol in spite of pledges to keep the plant in operation
Buffett and Kraft launch bond sales
Kraft and Berkshire Hathaway are pressing ahead with blockbuster bond sales to finance recent acquisitions in spite of a rocky day for global financial markets
Kraft in $4bn bond sale to help Cadbury deal
Kraft Foods is to raise at least $4bn in the US debt markets to help finance its $19bn acquisition of Cadbury, according to people familiar with the matter
Bitter-sweet end to Cadbury’s independence
The UK confectioner bid goodbye to 186 years as a stand-alone company after a majority of its shareholders accepted Kraft’s £11.7bn takeover offer
Ferrero will not offer Cadbury a sweeter deal
Italy’s Ferrero family rules out making an offer for Cadbury, leaving the way clear for Kraft of the US to secure the UK confectioner
Related content and features
Interactive
From corner shop to global brand
Interactive feature: The Financial Times charts Cadbury’s evolution from corner shop to global brand in an illustrated timeline, as Kraft, the US foodmaker, proposes to take over the leading UK confectionery group
Comment & Analysis
A recipe for cheese and chocolate
The agreement of Cadbury’s board to an £11.6bn takeover offer from US food group Kraft has prompted renewed unease about the UK’s openness to overseas bidders
Cadbury / Kraft
Like a premium chocolate bar, Kraft’s agreed bid for Cadbury provides a mix that could ultimately satisfy chocoholic shareholders on both sides
Cadbury investors have had a good takeover battle
There is no point to the shareholders in the UK confectionery group hanging around for what could be a sticky aftermath
Hershey
The chocolate maker’s position is truly uninspiring and a bid for much larger Cadbury would be a very bad call
Rosenfeld proves her mettle in audacious bid
The chief executive of Kraft has played an extremely cool game in the five-month takeover battle for the British brand founded in the 1830s
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