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Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions

Reuters
Updated

(Adds SoftBank, Adtalem Global Education, Snap Inc, CNP Assurances, Barneys, Zagg Inc, DuPont, Codelco, Bayer ; Updates Vivendi, Mallinckrodt, Mastercard, Boohoo)

Aug 6 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Tuesday:

** China's Tencent Holdings Ltd is in talks to buy up to 20% of Universal Music Group (UMG) from Vivendi SA , valuing the music label of Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and the Beatles at around 30 billion euros ($34 billion), as both firms look to expand in a recovering global music market.

** German chemical groups Bayer and Lanxess have agreed to sell chemical park operator Currenta to investor Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA), the sellers said.

** Chile's Codelco, the world's No.1 copper producer, said it sold its stake in the GNL Mejillones natural gas plant in the northern part of the country for $193.5 million.

** Industrial materials maker DuPont is considering the sale of its nutrition and biosciences unit, CNBC said in a tweet, citing a report.

** Zagg Inc, a U.S. manufacturer of protective cases for smartphones and tablets, is weighing options that include a potential sale after attracting acquisition interest from buyout firms, people familiar with the matter said.

** U.S. department store operator and fashionista favorite Barneys New York Inc filed for bankruptcy protection and put itself up for sale, underscoring how even luxury retailers are struggling to freshen their image and compete with online rivals.

** Mallinckrodt Plc suspended plans to spin off its specialty generics unit, citing opioid litigation uncertainties, and warned Acthar gel revenue was unlikely to exceed $1 billion this year, sending its shares down about 15% on Tuesday.

** Payments processor Mastercard Inc said it would buy a majority of the corporate services businesses of Scandinavian payments group Nets for about 2.85 billion euros($3.19 billion), furthering its push into the Nordic markets.

** France's CNP Assurances and Italy's Cattolica Assicurazioni are among a series of European bidders looking to submit binding offers for a controlling stake in the insurance arm of Italian lender UBI Banca, sources told Reuters.

** Internet-based fashion group Boohoo has bought the online businesses of fashion chains Karen Millen and Coast, leaving a question mark over the fate of the two retailers' stores and concessions in Britain.

** Snap Inc said it will raise $1 billion in short-term debt and plans to invest in more media content, augmented reality features and may also buy other companies.

** For-profit school chain Adtalem Global Education Inc has put its assets in Brazil up for sale, including flagship university Ibmec, four sources with knowledge of the matter said.

** Japan's SoftBank Group Corp has acquired a 8.1% stake in the Brazilian online lender Banco Inter SA through a share offering that concluded last week, according to a securities filing.

** Transat AT Inc said it was filing a complaint with the Canadian financial markets administrative tribunal against Groupe Mach's latest offer to buy 19.5% class B voting shares of the Canadian tour operator.

** Japanese hotel operator Unizo Holdings Co said on Tuesday it would reject a bid by H.I.S. Co to raise its stake, adding that the offer lacked synergy and was priced low, setting the stage for a potential rare hostile bid in Japan.

** Damco Energy, a unit of Greek group Copelouzos, agreed to buy a 10% stake in Senfluga Energy Infrastructure Holdings, which owns 66% of Greek gas grid operator DESFA, Copelouzos said.

** Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings Co Ltd said on Tuesday it would take a 30.3% stake in cosmetics company Fancl Corp for 129 billion yen ($1.21 billion) as it reduces its exposure to the shrinking domestic beer market.

** U.S. hedge fund Elliott Management holds a 5.51% stake in Japanese hotel operator Unizo Holdings, according to a regulatory filing submitted on Tuesday in Japan.

** Duopharma Biotech, Malaysia's largest generic drugmaker, is in talks with two Chinese consumer healthcare companies for expansion of their production base in Southeast Asia and a potential stake sale, its managing director said.

** JPMorgan confirmed it had won an auction to hold a majority equity stake in its Chinese asset management joint venture (JV), becoming the first foreign firm to move closer to taking control of an onshore funds business under new rules.

** Australia's Northern Minerals Ltd on Tuesday terminated a rare earths supply deal signed over two years ago with China's Lianyugang Zeyu New Materials Sales Co Ltd, citing a breach in the agreement.

** Australia's Aveo Group said on Tuesday that Brookfield Asset Management Inc had offered A$1.27 billion ($859.4 million) in cash to acquire the retirement-home operator.

** Australian oil and gas explorer FAR Ltd, which holds a stake in licences for oil drilling off the coast of West Africa's Guinea-Bissau, said a unit of China National Offshore Oil Corp will take a majority stake in the projects.

** New Media Investment Group said on Monday it will buy USA Today-owner Gannett Co in a $1.4 billion deal, creating the biggest newspaper owner in the United States as publishers struggle with readers shifting to online sources for news. (Compiled by Abhishek Manikandan and Dominic Roshan K.L. in Bengaluru)