Speculation that privately-owned electrical group Glen Dimplex may bid for the British domestic appliances group Kenwood has resurfaced after Glen Dimplex disclosed yesterday that it had more than doubled its stake in Kenwood to 7.2 per cent. Glen Dimplex first took a 3.5 per cent stake in Kenwood in August 1998 and has periodically been linked with a bid for the British group, which is worth just under £30 million sterling at its current price in the market.

Since Glen Dimplex first invested in Kenwood, the British group has changed fundamentally, switching most of its manufacturing to China from Britain. Kenwood has now restyled itself and has been involved in some product innovation.