Shares in THG rose as much as a quarter on Friday after the ecommerce company disclosed it had rejected a £2bn bid approach from a firm led by one of its own directors. Belerion is an investment firm specialising in early-stage ecommerce and technology companies, which also runs a concentrated equity fund. Its founder and chief investment officer, Iain McDonald, is a non-executive director at THG — formerly The Hut Group — and is thought to be close to Matt Moulding, the online retailer’s founder and chief executive.
Aware of the prevailing winds, THG has set out steps to enhance value both operationally and in corporate governance
The share price, which was down 4% at close on Thursday, jumped as much as 27% in early trading on Friday.