UK - Countrywide shareholders vote in favour of Apollo offer

Apollo's offer for estate agency chain Countrywide has been approved by 98.1% of shareholders at a vote today. Apollo raised its per share offer for the listed-company by 27p yesterday in response to the arrival of a mystery third party rival bidder. That bidder is now understood to be 3i, the group which first approached Countrywide in September 2006 before having its ТЃ971m offer rejected in January.