ThatsRacin.com – For a small country, the Netherlands is home to a disproportionately large number of big-name, international companies — and the nation now seems to be drawing the attention of arange of global activist investors seeking boardroom influence, break-ups and buys.
This international mentality is one reason British and U.S. investors are swooping on Dutch companies as they race to enter undervalued markets. But hedge funds and private equity groups are also trying to exploit historical and corporate governance issues that make the Netherlands a fertile field for their kind of activism.
The latest example of their growing presence came this week when two hedge funds controlling 6.4 percent of Ahold urged management to break up the food retailer.
London-based Centaurus and Paulson of New York called on the supermarket company to sell its U.S. operations, which account for three-quarters of sales, and focus on Europe alone.
