(Adds Hensoldt, Diageo; updates Auchan)
The following deals, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures were reported before 2030 GMT Tuesday:
** German defense contractor Hensoldt HAGG.DE said it acquired defense systems integrator ESG Elektroniksystem for an enterprise value of 675 million euros ($727.79 million), along with a price supplement of up to 55 million euros.
** Diageo DGE.L is seeking to divest its beer portfolio for margin reasons, except for flagship Guinness brand, Axios said, citing sources familiar with the world’s largest spirits maker.
** Auchan and Intermarche are in talks to form a buying alliance, reflecting their increasingly close ties a week after making a joint bid for French hypermarkets and supermarkets that rival Casino
Debt-ridden CASP.PA is looking to sell.
** Investment fund Fortissimo Capital is negotiating the purchase of a majority stake in Israeli telecommunications group Cellcom CEL.TA from Discount Investment Corp, according to a regulatory document filed in Tel Aviv.
** Spanish retailer DIA DIDA.MC has agreed to sell its Clarel perfume chain to Colombian investment firm Grupo Trinity, it said, after abandoning a sale of the business last August.
** SoftBank Corp 9434.T will invest around 473 million euros ($514 million) to take a 51% stake in Cubic Telecom, giving the Dublin-based connected vehicle technology provider greater access to manufacturers Asian automobiles.
** South Korean private equity firm MBK Partners said it has launched a tender offer to acquire a minimum 20.35% stake in storage battery maker Hankook & Company 000240.KS.
** Australian gold miner Evolution Mining EVN.AX has agreed to buy an 80% stake in the Northparkes copper and gold mine in New South Wales state from Chinese miner CMOC Group 603993. SS for up to $831 million, the two companies said.
** Rio Tinto RIO.AX , the world’s largest iron ore producer, has approved $77 million for the development of the Rhodes Ridge project in Western Australia, the company said.