Rose dismisses the speculation, but he's made the business ripe for a bid from the German wholesaler Is an offer by Metro imminent? Rumours in Britain and mainland Europe suggest German wholesaling giant Metro is preparing to bid for Booker. As the UK wholesaler's share leapt 8p to 137p this week, pundits in Frankfurt were predicting Metro was "about to pounce" for Booker with an offer that chief executive Stuart Rose would find hard to refuse. And the stories were given extra weight by the news City confidence in the business has been rising ahead of an analysts' tour of the cash and carry group later this month. But Rose dismissed the speculation: "This is not a new rumour. "The rising share price partly reflects the fact we're now seen as the sort of business that's transparent and clean. "It's also on the back of the news I bought shares the week before last and Charles Wilson bought this week." European commentators have been impressed with the way Rose, after strengthening his senior management team and disposing non core assets, has worked to revitalise the C&C group. And although he may still have some way to go to complete a strengthening programme of the core cash and carry business, the climate, according to financial pundits, is ripe for a Metro bid. The German wholesaler has been the subject of "UK invasion" rumours for years. Even before Rose moved in, Booker was said to be in its sights. Meanwhile, Makro buying director Shaun Birrell, 42, formerly of N&P, is joining Booker as trading director. It is also understood that Booker group trading director Richard Maude-Roxby, the last of the "old guard" of senior Booker executives, is leaving shortly. {{NEWS }}

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