Overreacting? Moi?
The French are in a tizzy over rumours of an American bid for Danone
TALK about paranoid. Suddenly, all of France is defending a national champion against a non-existent attack. This week, French politicians on all sides have been talking gravely about the dangers of Danone, a big French food firm, falling into American hands. Even Dominique de Villepin, the prime minister, has promised to “defend the interests of France” amid rumours of a pending bid by PepsiCo, one of the world's biggest food firms, for Danone, whose shares jumped as a result by over 13% on July 19th. No matter that Pepsi has denied building a stake in Danone and declines to comment on reports of takeover talks.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Overreacting? Moi?”
From the July 23rd 2005 edition
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