Peloton shares jump on reports of possible Amazon deal

Shares in at-home fitness company Peloton jumped Friday evening in extended trading on Wall Street amid reports of the company's potential takeover by e-commerce giant Amazon.

Shortly before 8:00 pm (0100 GMT), Peloton shares surged 26.42 percent, to $31.10.

Several American media reported on Amazon's interest in Peloton, which has struggled to maintain growth amid easing Covid-19 restrictions.

"Amazon has been speaking to advisers about a potential deal," the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing sources.

It added, however that "there's no guarantee the e-commerce giant will follow through with an offer or that Peloton, which is working with its own advisers, would be receptive."

There are other potential buyers, the business newspaper said, but no deal is imminent.

"Should there be a transaction, it could be significant, given Peloton's market value of around $8 billion - down sharply from its high around a year ago of some $50 billion," the Journal reported.

Peloton has been the target of an activist investor, Blackwells Capital, who is pushing for CEO John Foley to be fired and for the company to be sold.

It benefited significantly from the pandemic restrictions of 2020 as gyms closed and people began to exercise at home.

But the company has struggled to adjust to easing Covid restrictions. Its shares fell more than 75 percent last year and almost 25 percent since January.

Rotterdam says no decision on dismantling bridge for Bezos superyacht
The Hague (AFP) Feb 4, 2022 - The Dutch port city of Rotterdam has not received a request for a permit to temporarily dismantle an historic bridge to allow a superyacht built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to pass, local media reported Thursday.

The city's mayor denied any decision had been made, a day after a municipality spokeswoman told AFP that officials had green-lighted the shipbuilder's request to remove the central section of the iconic Koningshaven Bridge, sparking widespread criticism on social media.

Bezos's gigantic, 430-million-euro ($485 million) three-masted yacht -- built in Alblasserdam near Rotterdam -- is too big to pass under the bridge, which dates from 1878 and was rebuilt after being bombed by the Nazis in 1940 during World War II.

"I find the turmoil quite peculiar. No decision has yet been taken, not even an application for a permit," Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad quoted Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb saying on Thursday.

The municipality will make its decision after a permit application is filed and the impact has been assessed, including if it can be done without damaging the bridge and whether Bezos will foot the bill, the mayor said.

"It's about the facts. I want to know them first," he told the daily.

His remarks in Colombia, where he is on a visit, were confirmed by his spokesperson to Dutch news agency ANP.

Initial comments suggesting the move had already been approved angered some in the Netherlands, as the local council promised after a major 2017 renovation that it would never again dismantle the bridge, known to Rotterdammers as De Hef.

Bezos, 57, is one of the world's richest men after transforming online bookseller Amazon into a global shopping giant.

When not travelling by sea on superyachts, he can be found blasting into space on his Blue Origin capsule.

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