Cadbury Schweppes has had to extend the timetable for the sale of Americas Beverages owing to the recent 'extreme volatility' in debt markets.
The maker of Schweppes, Dr Pepper and 7-Up soft drinks issued a statement amid analysts' concerns that the troubled US housing market would hurt banks and finance companies enough to curb the availability of credit on which the economy feeds.
In turn, that could affect private equity groups bidding for Americas Beverages because their offers are often financed by large amounts of bank debt.
Analysts believe Cadbury may have to sell Americas Beverages for £7 billion, rather than the £8 billion investors had expected.
