Six private firms submitted offers when the second round of bidding for French materials producer Saint-Gobain's perfume bottle manufacturing arm, Desjonqueres, closed last night. The company is valued at about €700m ($926m).

French buyout firms Sagard, PAI Partners and LBO France made it to the next stage after the first round closed last week, according to sources. They faced competition from UK-based Bridgepoint and Barclays Private Equity, and US firm Carlyle, in the auction.