Wall Street bankers are trying to drum up interest in Sara Lee Corp.'s North American meat business, according to Smithfield Foods Inc., a potential suitor, Reuters reports.
"I can't go more than three days at a time before I have a major New York bank or investment bank coming to us to say, 'Boy, we would love to represent you in a Sara Lee acquisition,'" said Smithfield Chief Financial Officer Bo Manly during a conference call with analysts on Thursday. "I don't think necessarily we'll have to go to the table. I think the table will come to us."