Icelandic food industry machinery maker Marel has been forced to admit it is interested in taking over the food systems unit at Dutch engineering group Stork. Stork said last week it was in talks with UK private equity house Candover about a bourse exit.

Marel owns around 11% of Stork. ‘A merger between Food Systems and Marel would deliver an outstanding combination,’ joint owner Arni Oddur Thordarson told the Financieele Dagblad, in a reaction to market rumours that Marel was poised to sell its interest.