From an initial list of eight potential entities interested in seeking an opportunity to bid for insolvent French PVC producer Kem One (Lyon; www.kemone.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 01.08.2013 – four have made the shortlist as serious contenders following the 9 September deadline set by the commercial court of Lyon judicial according to the official receiver for Kem One, Bruno Sapin.

Of the four offers, three are for the entire company: one involves an investment fund, another from an investment company and the other from a French union managed by the General Confederation of Labour (Confédération générale du travail, CGT; www.cgt.fr). The remaining candidate is a private individual interested in a partial takeover of the company's industrial activities. All four candidates have submitted proposals which are based on a business continuity plan and though they are pretty firm in the plans they have submitted, Bruno Sapin will ask the courts to extend the deadline to 19 September to allow all parties to finalise their plans.

According to Kem One, the extension is a valid request due to the "satisfactory performance of the business" throughout the observation period. The company added that the two-month extension granted during the summer months was beneficial to ensuring a "sustainable solution for the entire business". The court has set a 26 September date for the next hearing.