Istithmar has competition in its quest to acquire Barneys from the Jones Apparel Group (NYSE: JNY). Japan's Fast Retailing Co has come forward with a $900 million bid, $75 million more than Jones had agreed to sell the unit for to the Dubai-based investment group.
Jones says it will begin talks with Fast Retailing. According to the Associated Press, "Headquartered in the western prefecture of Yamaguchi, Fast Retailing Co. operates the popular casual clothing chain Uniqlo. The retailer has expanded aggressively overseas, in such markets as Britain and continental Asia, with ambitions to challenge U.S.-based Gap Inc. It opened its global flagship Uniqlo store in New York City last September."
This should be interesting to follow, as investors from Japan and Dubai are battling for Barneys New York. Fast Retailing's offer is about 9% better than the agreement with Istithmar, and could lead to higher valuations for other high-end department stores like Bloomingdales, owned by Macys (NYSE: M).
Shares of Jones New York are up about 5% in pre-market trading.
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