Imerman interested in buying back Whyte & Mackay from Diageo

Former Whyte & Mackay Chief Executive Vivian Imerman today expressed interest in buying back the company from Diageo if the latter were to sell it.
Imerman, who runs an investment firm Vasari now, had sold Whyte & Mackay for 595 million pounds in 2007 to United Spirits, which was led by Vijay Mallya then.
"If it is decided that Diageo will sell (Whyte & Mackay), Mr Imerman has expressed an interest in buying it back," a Vasari spokesperson told PTI in an e-mailed statement.
The development comes in the wake of Diageo's USD 2 billion acquisition of United Spirits hitting a regulatory hurdle with UK fair trade watchdog finding it to be anti- competitive.

In the UK, United Spirits' subsidiary, Whyte & Mackay, is primarily active in the supply of whisky, besides being a player in other spirits, including vodka.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said the merger may lead to a substantial lessening of competition in the supply of blended whisky to retailers.

OFT came to the conclusion after analysing evidence, including data on consumer switching between brands, economic modelling and internal documents.
Stressing the seriousness of interest, the Vasari spokesperson further said: "Whyte & Mackay would make an important addition to the portfolio of spirits and beer businesses in Africa and Asia where Mr Imerman has been concentrating his efforts through his company Vasari since his five-year restraint expired last year."

The W&M brand would be complementary to the strategy of acquiring and growing businesses in these regions to take advantage of rapid consumer growth, the spokesperson added.
In February this year, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had approved Diageo' majority stake purchase in United Spirits and the deal was worth about USD 2 billion.
Under the deal, Diageo would acquire up to 53.4 per cent stake in United Spirits, one of the largest spirits firm, within five years.