Hedge fund 'considers bid' for troubled Regus

New York-based investment firm Indigo Capital is considering a bid for troubled office group Regus, a report said today.

Roberto Woldenberg, managing director of the US hedge fund, said he “could not rule out” substantially increasing his stake in Regus or eventually bidding for the firm, The Times reported.

Indigo has built up its stake in Regus to nearly 12%, understood to be both directly and through a complex dealing arrangement with a money broker.

Mr Woldenberg yesterday said Regus had “hidden value” and said Indigo was seeking talks with management about the company.

Shares in Regus, which have slumped as business suffered amid difficult times in the world economy, jumped 7% to 12p in early trading today.

Shares hit a peak in 2001 of nearly 400p but have slid to a low of just 3.25p.

Today’s bid speculation comes weeks after Regus agreed to sell a 58% stake in its UK business to venture capital firm Alchemy in a bid to solve its funding difficulties.

The struggling group, based in Chertsey, Surrey, UK, said at the time there was no alternative to the Alchemy deal apart from placing parts of its business into administration.