Two remain in hunt to buy MFI group

THE race for MFI’s retail business yesterday looks to have boiled down to a straight fight between two private equity firms.

The shortlist for the 200-strong furniture chain was finalised on Friday and is said to feature Apax and Merchant Equity Partners, founded this year by a former managing director of Deutsche Bank.

A successful bid for the chain is likely to cost £200 million (€293 million).