The owner of Waterstones is close to hiring bankers to work on a multibillion-pound listing of the transatlantic bookseller.
Sky News has learnt that Elliott Management is preparing to appoint Rothschild to act as an independent adviser on its flotation options, with a public market debut likely to take place as soon as the second quarter of this year.
Sources said that Rothschild’s likely engagement was the clearest sign so far that London is well-placed to triumph over New York in the battle to stage the listing of one of the world’s leading book retailers.
As well as Waterstones, the group also owns Barnes & Noble, which trades from hundreds of stores in the US.
In Britain, the company trades from about 315 stores and employs roughly 4,000 people.
It has been transformed under the leadership of James Daunt, founder of the eponymous retail chain, which is separately owned by him.
Sky News reported in October that Mr Daunt had been among the attendees at a roundtable hosted by Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, in an attempt to promote the London Stock Exchange as a listing venue.
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Last month, the Financial Times said the company had kicked off talks with potential advisers on a deal.
A number of other banks will be appointed in the coming months to oversee the public listing and share sale.
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Elliott declined to comment.
