Gossip of stake-building by Robert Maxwell at Thorn EMI Plc reached a crescendo on Friday, with Richard Branson, who wants EMI Records to put with his Virgin Group suggested as a buyer of the shares also: Maxwell is thought to have had around 3% at the opening of play Friday and picked up more during the day, and with the sudden surge of excitement over brand names ahead of the single European market – all those famous names at Rowntree are suddenly regarded as jewels beyond price, Thorn EMI has one or two nifty brands of its own, and its break-up value is seen as substantially in excess of market cap.