Credit: REUTERS/THILO SCHMUELGENFRANKFURT, Oct 30 (Reuters) - German metals trader Kloeckner & Co KCOGn.DE is not holding talks with larger rival Thyssenkrupp TKAG.DE about a tie-up, its chief executive said on Wednesday, squashing speculation about a future cooperation in the near-term.
"And we don't expect that there will be a significant change," Gisbert Ruehl told journalists during a conference call following third-quarter results, adding the group had currently "no big interest" in consolidation.
Ruehl said that Kloeckner & Co was currently more focused on fixing its own operational issues, adding the company was rather in a wait-and-see mode with regard to Thyssenkrupp's Materials Services division.
Sources had told Reuters in August that Thyssenkrupp and Kloeckner & Co were in talks over future cooperation in materials trading, but were not working on a near-term takeover.
(Reporting by Christoph Steitz Editing by Tassilo Hummel)
((christoph.steitz@thomsonreuters.com; +49 69 7565 1269; Reuters Messaging: christoph.steitz.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
