London, Jan. 17 - Britain's biggest brewer Scottish & Newcastle Plc (S&N) said it had entered into talks with a bidding consortium of Carlsberg and Heineken on a possible offer for S&N at 800 pence a share.
The Danish-Dutch bidding consortium said on Thursday it was raising its joint bid by 20p per share from 780p previously and the whole of the extra cost will be funded by Copenhagen-based Carlsberg.
Britain's Takeover Panel meanwhile said it had extended the deadline for a firm offer by three days to 1200 GMT on Jan. 24 to enable the bidding consortium to complete its due diligence.
"Scottish & Newcastle Plc and Carlsberg A/S and Heineken NV confirm that they have entered into discussions in relation to a possible recommended offer for S&N at 800 pence per share," S&N said in a statement.
S&N shares rose 5.5 percent to 766 pence by 1450 GMT, while Carlsberg dipped 3.7 percent to 576 crowns and Heineken gained 3.9 percent to 40.87 euros.