Hasbro buys Peppa Pig owner Entertainment One in £3.3bn deal

Hasbro buys Peppa Pig owner Entertainment One in £3.3bn deal

By Mark Sweney

Entertainment One distributes TV shows including The Walking Dead but Hasbro has highlighted the value of its children’s brands, led by Peppa Pig, as the prize assets. Photograph: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy

Hasbro, the US toymaker behind My Little Pony and Play-Doh, has snapped up the Peppa Pig owner, Entertainment One, in a £3.3bn takeover.

The deal, which sent Entertainment One’s share price soaring by 30% in early trading on Friday, marks the latest UK-listed company to be targeted by a foreign buyer since the dramatic weakening of the pound over fears of a no-deal Brexit.

Earlier this week Hong Kong’s richest family bought the 220-year old pub and beer company Greene King in a £4.6bn deal.

Last month the US private equity group Advent International agreed a £4bn buyout of the UK aerospace and defence supplier Cobham and the Netherlands-based Takeaway.com agreed a £5bn takeover of the UK-listed food delivery rival Just Eat.

Full Story: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/23/hasbro-buys-peppa-pig-owner-entertainment-one