3i deal activity on the rise
Private equity firm 3i Group said deal activity picked up in the three months to end-December, as M&A markets continued to warm up.
3i invested £183m during the quarter, taking total investments to £510m in the first nine months, more than double year-on-year.
New deals across Europe picked up late last year as the economic outlook improved, with 3i agreeing deals for businesses including Nordic medical supplier OneMed and German jewellery maker Amor group.
The group has also been active selling more mature portfolio companies, including Dutch hydraulic cylinders maker Hyva and French environmental and food testing firm Groupe Carso.
Sales of companies amounted to £398m over the nine months, not including 350 million of expected proceeds from Hyva and the sale of MWM to US group Caterpillar earlier in the quarter, compared with £777M in the previous year.