French company Atos says its BDS arm is not up for sale

The BDS division of French company Atos ATOS.PA is ‘not up for sale’, said a spokesperson for Atos.

On Wednesday, sources had told Reuters that France’s Thales TCFP.PA was working on a plan to buy the cybersecurity business of IT consultancy group Atos, in a potential $3 billion tie-up likely to test the political determination for shoring up France’s digital defences.

Thales, which ranks as Europe’s largest defence electronics company, and its adviser Centerview Partners have approached several private equity firms including Bain Capital to explore a possible joint offer as part of a deal that would involve a complex break-up of Atos, the sources said. Nasdaq