Hoax fears over UK firm's £1.1bn bid for Australia's David Jones But it looks like the little-known UK private equity firm behind the A$1.65bn (£1.1bn) bid might not be all it seems. The bidder calls itself EB Private Equity, based in Luxembourg and the UK, with a glossy website including stirring quotes from General Patton and JP Morgan. However, there appears to be no record of EB at Companies House. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that EB's headquarters were nestled between a wig shop and a noodle bar in the back streets of Newcastle. John Edgar claims to run EB. He is also is a director of Luxury Beverage Company, which said it had created a non-alcoholic drink for the Islamic market, being retailed for £3.5m a bottle. A spokesman for David Jones said: "We've asked for details about how they propose to fund the bid, who else is part of their equity consortium and who their debt funders are. We're just waiting for a response.