Holiday group Saga's shares spike on Ageas insurance deal talks
Saga says no certainty deal will go through
Postpones HY results
Shares rise as much as 14.6%
Adds Ageas declining to comment in paragraph 7, updates shares
By Yamini Kalia
Oct 2 (Reuters) -Britain's Saga SAGA.L said on Wednesday it is in talks with Belgian insurer Ageas AGES.BR on an insurance partnership, sending the holiday group's shares up more than 14%.
Saga, which specialises in packages for people over 50, has faced challenges in its insurance business and taken steps, including increasing prices and reducing staff to control costs, while Ageas has been trying to build its presence in Britain.
In September 2023, Saga put a sale process for its insurance underwriting arm, whose potential sale to Australia's Open was terminated earlier in the year, on hold.
Shares in Saga rose as much as 14.6% to 129 pence in morning trade on Wednesday. They are down 18% so far this year.
The potential partnership with Saga follows an unsuccessful attempt by Ageas to buy its British competitor Direct Line in a 3.17 billion pound ($4.21 billion) takeover in March.
Ageas, which presented a new strategic plan in September, is aiming to capitalise on the growing demand for pension and savings products from aging populations in Europe and Asia.
Ageas declined to comment on the Saga partnership agreement.
Sky News, which first reported on the talks between the two companies on Tuesday, said that under the proposed deal, Ageas would make an up-front payment to Saga.
Saga did not disclose the amount in its statement and said it was not certain that the deal would take place.
Separately, Saga postponed its half-year results that were due on Wednesday, but said its first-half performance was in-line with its expectations.
It did not give a date for publication of the results.
($1 = 0.7526 pounds)
Reporting by Yamini Kalia and Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; Editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi, Sonia Cheema, Jane Merriman and Alexander Smith
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