Micro Focus approached HP Enterprise about a deal in February

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Micro Focus International approached Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co in February about an $8.8 billion (6.59 billion pounds) deal and was not put off by the market chaos thrown up by the vote to leave the European Union, it said on Thursday.

Kevin Loosemore, executive chairman of Micro Focus, told reporters he had approached the firm in February, intrigued by HPE's strategy. He said the June 23 Brexit vote had not had any impact on the deal.

"I contacted HPE in about February this year," he said. "We are in regular contact with most players in the mature software space, it's what we do, and HPE had just separated from HPI (HP Inc) at the back end of last year and I was personally intrigued as to what their new strategy was going to be."

The two firms announced an agreement late on Wednesday for HP to spin off and merge its non-core software assets with Micro Focus.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Kate Holton)