UPDATE 1-Main owner says Falck IPO deliberations continue

COPENHAGEN, May 10 (Reuters) - Private equity investor Nordic Capital said on Monday that preliminary marketing of a possible stock offering in Danish ambulance service group Falck continues, though there is no certainty yet about a sale. At the weekend, Danish media said that plans for a Falck offering had been shelved because of market turbulence. A Falck offering could be the biggest Danish stock offering since 2005 as some analysts estimate the company to be worth 9-10 billion Danish crowns ($1.62 billion-$1.80 billion). "We have decided to go out in the pre-marketing phase, which is a phase where you actively seek input from investors, and based on that feedback a decision will be made as to if, when, and at what price a Falck IPO would take place," Nordic Capital partner Lars Terney told Reuters. "That phase is still ongoing," said Terney who is also vice chairman of the Falck board. Nordic Capital holds 71.9 percent of Falck's shares. Falck, which says it is the biggest privately-owned ambulance company in Europe, said on April 22 that it was exploring a stock offering and listing. Sources familiar with the process said on May 5 that further details of a sale would come within a week. "There are no changes to the deliberations from what has been communicated before, which is that there is no certainty as to the date and price and so forth," Terney said. "As part of the deliberations, the market in which you would launch is a significant piece of information that would be taken into account," he said. He declined to say how much of the stock Nordic Capital was interested in selling. Falck's second-biggest owner is Danish pension group ATP's private equity arm with 10.5 percent. The third-biggest is Swedish insurance company Folksam with 4.8 percent. Directors, senior management and employees hold 12.8 percent. Falck was delisted from the Copenhagen bourse when it was bought out by Nordic Capital in 2005. (Reporting by John Acher; Editing by David Cowell) ($1=5.546 Danish Crown) Keywords: FALCK OFFERING/ ([e-mail]; [phone]; Reuters Messaging: [e-mail]) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved.

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