It would have to bid in tandem with a rival drinks producer or a private equity investor.

That could come from debt as well as a new equity investor.

Analysts suspect that the potential bidder will be a private equity investor.

Ideally, a private equity house will own a company for between three and five years before selling it on, often to a rival private equity investor.

It's a checklist that should make every equity investor flinch: gold through $1,000 an ounce, oil at $110 a barrel, commodities at record highs and government bond yields on the floor.