Hamburg, June 20 - Germany's second largest sugar refiner, Nordzucker, said on Friday it was planning a takeover bid for the sugar business of Danish food group Danisco.
"We want to present a bid," said a Nordzucker spokeswoman.
Nordzucker chief executive Hans-Gerd Birlenberg said in early June his company was considering spending 700 million to 1 billion euros on a purchase of Danisco's sugar business in a move to catch up with Germany's largest sugar producer, Suedzucker.
France's leading sugar producer, Tereos, on Friday abandoned plans to bid for the Danisco business.
The withdrawal is expected to leave Nordzucker as the sole remaining contender.
Nordzucker is owned by north German sugar farmers.
The Nordzucker spokeswoman said the company was considering offering shareholdings in any new Danish activities to its own farmers stakeholders.