Britain's biggest sportswear retailer JD Sports jumped 6.3% on a takeover deal to buy DTLR Villa, its second acquisition in the United States, as the retailer expands its business in the West Coast.
The Euro STOXX 600 was 1% weaker, heading for its worst daily showing of the year so far.
The FTSE 100 index slipped 0.7% as data showed British retailers struggled to recover in December from a partial coronavirus lockdown the previous month.