IN BRIEF : Heinz share sale

The sale of $500m (pounds 324m) worth of HJ Heinz shares held by family trusts could make a long-rumoured takeover of the foods giant considerably easier, reports the Bloomberg news agency.

Bankers say potential bidders have been dscouraged by the company's size and by the proportion of Heinz shares more than 13% held by family endowments and charitable trusts. But in a public offering to be priced on Monday, the trusts will sell 12.5m, or nearly 40% of their stake.