Blackstone takes stake in UK airports group for £235m Transport and infrastructure Blackstone has bought a 22 per cent stake in AGS Airports in a deal valued at £235m, it has been announced. The agreement sees AviAlliance offload some of its holdings in AGS, which owns Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airport, although it will retain a majority 78 per cent stake. AGS was acquired by PSP, one [...]
Blackstone: Shakira’s songs stay, but ‘Hipgnosis’ name goes Business Blackstone has rebranded its $3bn (£2.32bn) music investment business to ‘Recognition’, letting go of its former name ‘Hipgnosis’, as it prepares for new acquisitions and consolidates its assets. This decision follows the company’s takeover of the Hipgnosis Songs Fund in 2023, which held the rights to songs by the likes of Shakira, Fleetwood Mac, and [...]
Blackstone targets Warehouse REIT for £470m takeover Investing Warehouse REIT’s stock price has jumped almost 18 per cent after it was revealed the investment trust had rejected four separate bids for a takeover from US private equity giant Blackstone. Blackstone, as part of a consortium with investment giant Sixth Street, made a £470m offer for the investment trust last week, it announced today. [...]
Alton Towers operator Merlin Entertainments names new top boss February 17, 2025 Merlin Entertainments, the global giant which runs the likes of Alton Towers, Legoland and Madame Tussauds, has named a new full-time chief executive. Fiona Eastwood has been appointed to the role after serving on an interim basis since November 2024. Eastwood succeeds Scott O’Neil who stepped down after two years in the job. O’Neil had [...]
Ratcliffe, IPL and Littler: The City AM Sport 2024 year in review December 31, 2024 It was the year that was in sport; when iconic athletes retired, major brands made fascinating choices and one pole vaulter was knocked out of the Olympics because of his hefty package. The 12 months that made up 2024 weaved the retirement of cricketer James Anderson with the iconic breakdancer Raygun, it saw a German [...]
Women’s football and NFL: The biggest sports deals of 2024 December 31, 2024 Sport has been full of deals in 2024 with Premier League clubs being taken over, cricket selling stakes in franchise teams and transfers sending sports fans mad. But which were the standout deals of the last 12 months? Founder of SportsInvest Advisory Achille de Rauglaudre takes a look. March: Women’s football on the rise 2024 [...]
Bosses at world’s biggest banks: Britain is ‘ready for investment’ October 14, 2024 Bosses at five of the world’s biggest banks, along with a host of insurers, private equity firms and tech giants, have backed a push to invest in the UK ahead of the government’s flagship investment summit today. More than a dozen executives signed a letter stating that they were optimistic about the future of the [...]
Blackstone: Private equity giant backs £10bn AI data centre deal in UK September 26, 2024 Private equity giant Blackstone has injected £10bn into the UK to build one of the largest artificial intelligence data centres in Europe. The investment will build a data centre in Blyth, in the north east of England, creating more than 4,000 jobs. Construction of the site is expected to begin next year. It comes after [...]
UK’s largest pension fund agrees £405m homes deal with Blackstone August 13, 2024 The UK’s largest pension fund has acquired 3,000 homes from Blackstone for more than £400m. The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) has snapped up the portfolio of shared ownership homes from affordable housing company, Sage. Sage is majority-owned by Blackstone alongside real estate investor Regis and was formed in 2017. The £405m deal is the first [...]
Blackstone chief Steve Schwarzman’s NIMBY problem: Newts in My Backyard August 7, 2024 In his day job as Blackstone’s chief executive, Stephen Schwarzman is used to dealing with slimy adversaries conspiring to prevent him from getting his way. But now the private equity boss is facing a similar problem in a more personal capacity, after the potential presence of an endangered species of newt has prevented him from [...]