According to an article by Ambereen Choudhury and Andrew Cleary on Bloomberg.com, Nordic Capital and CVC Capital Partners Ltd. may sell Dutch confectioner Leaf International for more than $1.5 billion, unidentified people familiar with the plan said. The sources added that the buyout firms are considering a sale next year.

In 2004, the two firms purchased Leaf from CSM NV for approximately $1.2 billion. Potential buyers of the confectionery include Cadbury Plc and Italy’s Perfetti Spa, said analyst Warren Ackerman, Dresdner Kleinwort in London. Because of Mars’ and Wrigley’s recently consummated merger, companies may have to turn to acquisitions in order to stay competitive, the article notes.