Thai conglomerate Central Group snapping up more trophy assets on European shopping spree

Bangkok

THE news that Thailand's Central Group had entered into advanced talks to buy British retailer Selfridges for up to £4 billion (S$7.22 billion) was, curiously, first broken by The Times newspaper in the United Kingdom, not by a Thai publication.

Senior executives of the Bangkok-based Central Retail Corporation (CRC), whose initial public offering in February 2020 raised US$2.5 billion on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), have so far kept rather quiet about the mega deal, which is expected to be finalised in the next few weeks.