Delta Two, the Qatari-backed investment fund seeking to take over Sainsbury's, has been given until 8 November to finalise its bid for the UK supermarket chain after informing the company it is seeking an additional £500 mln (EUR 713 mln) of equity financing to fund its offer.

Delta Two, the Qatari-backed investment fund seeking to take over Sainsbury's, has been given until 8 November to finalise its bid for the UK supermarket chain after informing the company it is seeking an additional £500 mln (EUR 713 mln) of equity financing to fund its offer.

The 8 November deadline was set by the UK's Takeover Panel. The panel's ultimatum came after Delta Two fund told Sainsbury's that there is no guarantee that it can secure the necessary financing from the Qatar Investment Authority to go ahead with its proposed £10.6 bn offer, equivalent to a price of 600 pence a share.

Should Delta Two, which currently owns 25% of the retailers, abandon takeover plans for now, it would have to wait at least 6 months before presenting a new offer. The credit crunch has reportedly made Delta Two's financing efforts more difficult.