Amazon set to take control of Lovefilm
US online retailer Amazon is set to increase its stake in Lovefilm, the DVD retailer and online streaming service, to 100%. Amazon currently owns 42% of the company, which is run by chief executive Simon Calver, and is set to acquire the remaining shares it currently does not own.
The move values Lovefilm at around £200m (240m). This comes after Lovefilm was considering a stock market flotation following its hire of investment bank Jeffries to assess its strategic options.Â
Lovefilm, which has more than 1.4 million subscribers, operates in a raft of European countries including the UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.