Several private equity firms are mulling a bid for VNU, a Netherlands-based media and market research company, three weeks after it scrapped a $6.3bn (€5.3bn) offer for rival IMS Health in the wake of shareholder criticism.

The Wall Street Journal reports that buy-out houses Apax Partners and The Blackstone Group are expected to club together to make a bid this month, while rivals Bain Capital, Texas Pacific Group and Warburg Pincus are also considering forming a consortium to make a counter-offer.