Takeover rumours regarding Clariant
In the wake of the failed merger between Huntsman and Clariant, there is speculation about Clariant's future. The name Evonik has been mentioned, but the company, which is based in Essen, Germany, has denied having any interest in acquiring Clariant.
According to reports by various media, the financial investor CVC Capital is considering acquiring a stake in Clariant. It could take over the Plastics and Coatings division alone, for example. Interestingly, the investment company White Tale, which prevented the merger with Huntsman, had previously demanded the sale of precisely this division. White Tale has since backed down a bit regarding this demand.
The acquisition of Clariant together with a partner is also being discussed. This would entail breaking up the corporate group. The partner is reported to be the Essen-based company Evonik. Evonik and CVC are old acquaintances. In 2008, the Belgian financial investment company acquired a stake in Evonik and held 25.1% of its shares for a period of time. However, CVC Capital has gradually parted company with Evonik again. The remaining 4.2% were sold in 2016.
This means that CVC has no say in Essen anymore, at least not formally. Evonik itself has stated that it does not have any interest in Clariant. It is currently focusing on integrating the acquisitions of Air Products (USD 3.8 billion) as well as JM Huber's silica division (USD 630 million).
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