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Blue Nile to be taken private in US$500mln deal

Last updated: 10:14 07 Nov 2016 EST, First published: 05:14 07 Nov 2016 EST

jewellery
The online jeweller was founded back in 1999

Online diamond jeweller Blue Nile Inc (NASDAQ:NILE) will go private after it agreed to be bought out by an investor group in a US$500mln deal.

Bain capital Private equity and Bow Street LLC will pay US$40.75 in cash for each outstanding Blue Nile share, a premium of more than a third on Friday’s closing price.

“This is an opportunity to acquire a true disruptor in a fundamentally attractive and growing segment of the diamond industry,” said Bain Capital’s managing director Ryan Cotton.

“Blue Nile provides a clearly superior consumer value proposition and offers a convenient delivery model that enables choice and selection in a no-pressure environment.”

Blue Nile’s board of directors unanimously approved the offer and urged to shareholders to support the transaction too.

“Since its inception, Blue Nile’s guiding principle has been to provide value to its customers, suppliers, and shareholders, and this transaction provides tremendous value to all,” said Blue Nile chairman, chief executive and President Harvey Kanter. 

Should the deal get the go-ahead as expected, it is likely to close in the first quarter of 2017, the parties said.

Blue Nile – which was founded in 1999 and taken public in 2004 – will continue to be headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

In a separate announcement, Blue Nile told investors that it recorded net income of US$1.3mln for the three months to September on revenues of US$105.1mln.

Shares were up 34% to US$40.68.

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