VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Cereal maker Kellogg Co's (K.N) chief executive officer is planning to meet with cookies and snacks maker United Biscuits Ltd (IPO-UNI.L) to discuss a possible 2 billion pound ($3.23 billion) offer for the British company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Hony Capital Ltd, a Chinese private equity firm, is mulling a potential bid for United Biscuits Holdings Ltd owned by Blackstone Group and PAI Partners, according to sources interviewed by Bloomberg.

French private equity firm PAI Partners confirmed on Thursday it has sold a 9 percent stake in IT services firm Atos for 545 million euros ($732 million).

Mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process

Three private equity firms have gone through to the second round of bidding for R&R Ice Cream

130 million euro loan backing PAI Partners' acquisition of a majority stake in Italian eyewear company Marcolin has closed oversubscribed, banks said in a statement.

Bankers are preparing debt packages to back a buyout of UK-based United Biscuits' salty snack business which is expected to go up for sale in September and fetch around 500 million pounds ($776 million).

French engineering company Schneider Electric has received two offers in a second round of bidding for its U.S.-based sensors subsidiary.

Private equity firm PAI Partners has pulled out of the race to buy Iglo Group.