South African firm line up car glass company Auto Windscreens

THE South African wind-screen-replacement firm Glasfit is thought to be one of a handful of parties in talks to acquire Auto Windscreens, the British repair company, from Aviva, the insurer.

The privately owned South African company’s main competition for Auto Windscreens, estimated to be worth about £50m, comes from financial buyers.

RJD Partners, the private-equity firm, is said to be among those institutions in the chase.

Glasfit is a leading player in southern Africa, with 120 repair centres in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Auto Windscreens is one of two main providers in Britain, the other being Autoglass.

Last night a source close to + denied it was involved in bidding for its rival, suggesting there might be competition issues if the two organisations merged.

Auto Windscreens is one of several automotive-related businesses being sold by Aviva, the insurance giant behind Norwich Union. Also up for sale are BSM, the motoring school, and HPI, a vehicle database.

Aviva bosses have decided that the motoring assets are peripheral to its main insurance business. It hired NM Rothschild to conduct a sale, though this is unlikely to be concluded for several weeks.