European electrical goods retailer Darty (LSE: DRTY) operates mainly in France (it is headquartered in London) and in November last year French retailer Fnac put in a bid for the company. Then South Africa's Steinhoff International joined the fray, leading to a bidding war.
That drove the share price up by more than 140% in the last year. The Darty board has recommended that shareholders accept Fnac's offer.
Be glad you didn't buy...
Flybe (LSE: FLYB), Britain's third-largest airline, is based in Exeter and flies between the UK's regional airports and Europe. Times have been tough in recent years. It is now in the second year of a three-year restructuring plan, and aims to consolidate its position in the UK while expanding "cautiously" into Europe.
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The financial year 2015/2016 saw passenger numbers and revenue rise, and the airline returned a pre-tax profit of £5.5m. But that hasn't stopped the share-price slide. In the last year, it's fallen by more than 50%.
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