Two months after declining a takeover bid from Wolverhampton & Dudley, the UK pub operator, Eldridge Pope & Co., has turned down an approach from the entrepreneur, Michael Cannon.

Cannon’s investment company, SDA, had offered 165p per share for 19.31% of Eldridge Pope which would take its share to 29.9%, only just below the 30% threshold required to trigger a full takeover bid.

Eldridge Pope said the offer was “opportunistic” and Cannon was attempting to gain control of the company cheaply.

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De Kuyper Royal Distillers’ De Kuyper Batched 0.0% range has won both Innovation and Product Launches honours in the 2025 Just Drinks Excellence Awards. Learn how these premium, non-alcoholic RTD cocktails help operators serve consistent, bar-quality drinks while tapping fast-growing demand for sophisticated alcohol-free options.

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