Reportedly, Metro plans to make a statement next Friday on the possible divestiture of the Kaufhof chain of department stores, including its Kaufhof Sportarenas. According to the German daily newspaper Handelsblatt, Signa, the Greek-owned investment company based in Austria, is offering to pay only €2.05 billion for the assets, less than previously reported, but Der Spiegel says that Metro is investigating allegations that the company is supported by money laundering. Metro has been conducting exclusive negotiations with Signa. It may be tempted to switch to other candidates such as Nicolas Berggruen, the German-American billionaire who has already acquired Karstadt. He has already expressed interest in the takeover. Recent reports indicate that Karstadt is now growing faster than the market and that it plans to open two or three new stores next year.

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