Financial Times

* State-owned VTB, Russia’s second-largest bank by assets, is set on Monday to begin a roadshow to sell a 10% stake worth an estimated $3.5 billion.

* Supergroup has bought its leading franchisee, CNC Collections, for €40 million in cash and shares to drive its growth in Europe.

* Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, the owners of the Telegraph newspaper group, have bought debt held by Bank of Scotland in the Maybourne Hotel Group.

* Sweden intends to further reduce its stake in Nordic bank Nordea after selling some of its shares for nearly $3 billion in a disposal that could mark the start of a fresh round of privatisations in the country.

* India wants to impose new conditions before allowing Vedanta, the London-listed resources group, to take control of Cairn India in a $9.6bn deal.

* Schroders – Mouchel’s biggest shareholder – is urging the UK outsourcing group to set a deadline of February 18 for would-be bidders to make firm offers.

* Russian oligarch Alexander Mamut is preparing to prise the Waterstone’s book chain away from parent HMV Group in a deal that could be worth between £50 million and £70 million.

* Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH, ruled out selling his stake in Hermès International and said he intended to play an active role as an investor in the smaller rival luxury goods group.

* Actelion, the Swiss biotechnology group being stalked by US hedge fund Elliott, responded to demands that it put itself up for sale by stressing its confidence in the new drugs in its pipeline.

The Lex Column

* Vodafone in Egypt – this should remind investors that internet and telecoms services can be tools of both revolution and repression – and they are vulnerable to cruel and unusual forms of political risk.