AMERICAN food group Campbell Soup Company is reported to be considering a £1.5bn bid for United Biscuits (UB).

Weekend reports claim the firm wants to buy the biscuit-making division, which generates about 75% of the group’s revenues compared with the smaller snacks arm and Northern European businesses.

UB employs about 750 staff at its Aintree plant making Jacob’s cream crackers and more than 100 at its business services centre in Binns Road, Wavertree.

Campbell is reported to have hired Centreview Partners, a US advisory firm that specialises in deals within the consumer sector.

UB is owned by US-based investment firm Blackstone and French buyout specialist PAI Partners.

They signalled the availability of UB in July this year when the two owners apparently dismissed a stock market flotation in a bid to raise funds, and instead decided to concentrate on finding a buyer, with a reported £2bn price tag, after hiring investment banks Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan as advisers.

Blackstone and PAI, who bought UB for £1.6bn from French group Danone in 2006, are believed to be open to separate offers for the biscuits, snacks and North Europe operations in the absence of interest in the whole company.

However, a bid is expected to generate interest from rivals including Kraft, Kellogg, Pepsico and several Asian bidders.

No-one from UB was available for comment.