UK's Morrisons says talk of firm as takeover target 'pure speculation'

LONDON (Reuters) - Talk that Morrisons MRW.L, Britain's No. 4 grocer, could be subject to a takeover bid is "pure speculation", its chief executive David Potts said on Thursday.

Industry analysts have suggested that Morrisons could be a candidate for a potential takeover, possibly from an overseas private equity firm, given the weakness of the pound making deals cheaper and the group’s 27% share price fall over the last year.