Report Revives Rumors of Anixter Sale

A story last week from Bloomberg cites unnamed “people with knowledge of the matter” to report that datacom wire and cable distribution giant Anixter International Inc., Glenview, Ill., is working with Goldman Sachs Group to find a buyer for the company.

Bloomberg named electrical distribution giant Rexel Inc., Paris, among the first-round bidders and said a second round of bids for Anixter will be sought next month. Anixter has a market value of $3.4 billion and rumors of its potential sale have been a recurrent theme over the past several years.

Much of the Bloomberg report centered on the possible sale of the 15% ownership stake Sam Zell has had in Anixter for nearly 30 years. Zell is a well-known billionaire investor who made his fortune in real estate and according to Forbes magazine is nicknamed the “Grave Dancer,” for his leveraged buyouts of distressed companies.