EI looks close to buying Nomi in zł. 350 million deal

According to Parkiet, Enterprise Investors (EI) was conducting negotiations with retail concern Kingfisher in terms of buying shares in Nomi, a chain of megastores selling home and garden fittings. Nomi owns 39 stores and was listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange between 1996 and 2001. Its present owner wants to sell the company and, "I can confirm that talks concerning this issue are in progress," said Nomi spokeswoman Agnieszka Bartosik. Parkiet has leant that a contract might be signed, and if EI took over the shares then Nomi would again appear on the bourse. This is due to the policy of the investment fund, which usually enters companies for 5-7 years and quits them usually through a floatation. EI representatives declined to comment on the information, but "We have a wide range of experience in running retail networks," said Jacek Siwicki, a partner in EI. The value of the potential transaction is unknown, but Nomi might be worth over zł. 350 million. (Parkiet, p. 4) M.M.