South African billionaire Christo Wiese is considering a bid for BHS as he looks to enter the UK with the help of former Asda boss Andy Bond.
Wiese, who has a personal fortune of £2.2bn, has put Sir Philip Green’s department store chain on a list of retailers that would complement his existing investments, The Daily Mail reported.
Wiese, who is chairman and largest shareholder of South African retailer groups Pepkor and Shoprite, has tasked Bond with seeking out potential UK acquisitions.
Wiese is also understood to be interested in a fixed-price value retailer, a sector which has enjoyed strong growth since the onset of the economic downturn.
The paper said no formal approach has been made to possible targets and said Weise is keen to take advantage of potential deals in the UK as a number of takeover and possible stock market floats begin to kick off.
Green declined to comment on the story. He told Retail Week earlier this month that the struggling BHS business, part of his Arcadia Group, was not for sale.
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