The future of British supermarket chain Sainsbury's was back in the spotlight today after it emerged that a Qatari-backed investment group had built a 25% stake.
Delta Two said it paid £732m for another 7% of the blue-chip company, adding to the 18% already in its ownership.
The move by Delta Two will increase pressure on Sainsbury's as another of its major shareholders, Robert Tchenguiz, has been calling for the chain to unlock the value of its property assets.
The latest acquisition of shares gives Delta a bigger holding than the 18% owned by the Sainsbury family.
Delta paid 595p a share for its latest stake, well above the Sainsbury's closing price of 565p on Thursday.
Two months ago, a £10.1 billion private equity bid for Sainsbury's, led by CVC, collapsed after opposition from the Sainsbury family.
