Vodafone considers pinching Vivendi's assets

NEWS Vodafone is poised to make a bid for the remaining stake in Vivendi's mobile division SFR. The UK mobile company already owns 32 per cent of SFR, partially through its 15 per cent holding in Cegetel, which owns 80 per cent of the company. The outstanding SFR shares would cost Vodafone between £8bn and £9bn, analysts have predicted. However, the sale of SFR is far from certain as it represents one of Vivendi's most profitable divisions, reports the FT. Vodafone shares fell to a four-year low following the speculation yesterday.