Ingram parent in 'advanced talks' over $7bn sale - reports

Rumours of offloading surface again

Ingram Micro's parent company HNA is in discussions to sell the distie in a deal worth $7bn, according to reports.

Bloomberg said that US investment firm Platinum Equity is in "advanced talks" with HNA over the possible acquisition, citing people familiar with the matter.

The sources said that any potential deal could yet fall apart, with other potential suitors also reportedly in the frame.

Rumours of a sale have been circulating for over two years, with HNA shedding billions of dollars' worth of assets in attempts to reduce its debt.

The firm acquired Ingram in 2016 as part of a huge spell of acquisitions.

HNA admitted in December 2018 that it was in talks to sell the distie, with Apollo Global Management mooted as the potential suitor.

Apollo has since gone on to acquire Tech Data.

Rumours surfaced again in August last year, with Asian private equity firm RRJ this time reported to be the interested party.

Tensions within HNA were made public in April, when a post on one of its social media channels claimed it was "at the point of life and death".

Ingram has distanced itself from the struggles of its parent company, highlighting that terms said by the US government at the time of its sale mean it has to be operated as a standalone company by HNA.