Anta Sports Resurfaces as Puma’s Potential White Knight

Group 1 - Anta Sports has reportedly made an offer to acquire the 29 percent stake in Puma owned by Artémis, the investment company of the Pinault family [1] - Artémis has previously indicated that Puma is "not a strategic asset" and is keeping its options open regarding the sale [1] - The offer from Anta is currently stalled, and Artémis is not willing to sell at current valuations, expecting bids exceeding 40 euros per share [1][2] Group 2 - Puma's CEO Arthur Hoeld highlighted several issues the company needs to address, including a lack of brand heat, excessive inventory, and the need for iconic products to stand out [4] - Sale speculation around Puma has been ongoing since September, with various potential buyers being discussed, including Anta's interest surfacing in November [5] - Puma secured a bridge loan of 500 million euros and additional credit lines of 108 million euros to improve liquidity and refinance an existing Revolving Credit Facility of 1.2 billion euros [5]