Rover: one year on

One year after BMW's shock decision to sell Rover, BBC News Online looks back at the key moments of the sale.

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16 March 2000

The Rover badge

BMW announces sale of Rover

The German car giant BMW announced its intention to sell Rover which it had bought in 1994. The UK government criticised the decision but falling sales, a changing car market and unhappy shareholders proved too much for the BMW board. The BBC's Jonathan Charles reports.

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16 March 2000

Rover workers reacted angrily to BMW's decision

Hostile reaction to BMW decision

The sell-off decision was met with anger by trade unions and the UK government. Despite claims to the contrary, the government insisted it had been kept in the dark by BMW and had no prior knowledge of the sale. UK Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers called BMW's announcement "a great disappointment".

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17 April 2000

John Moulton, Head of Alchemy Partners

Alchemy bids to buy Rover

UK venture capitalists Alchemy Partners emerged as the frontrunners to buy Rover. They hoped to concentrate on developing the MG marque, turning Rover into a prestige niche car maker. However this involved significant redundancies and neither the government nor the unions welcomed the bid. The BBC's Andrew Newman reports.

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9 May 2000

John Towers, head of the Phoenix consortium

Phoenix buys Rover for £10

Following the collapse of the Alchemy bid, BMW finally sold Rover to the Phoenix consortium for a nominal sum of £10. The deal was welcomed by both the government and jubilant Rover workers. Phoenix boss John Towers added to the mood of celebration by promising staff a share of the business. The BBC's Stephen Evans reports.

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6 May 2001

The Longbridge plant in the West Midlands

How successful has the takeover been and how safe are the jobs of thousands at Longbridge in the West Midlands? Click here to listen to the Five Live Report which analyses the issues.

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