Jupiter nears deal to buy asset manager Merian February 16, 2020 Jupiter Fund Management is close to buying Merian Global Investors from private equity firm TA Associates, in a deal that would create a merged company with £67bn of assets under management. The company said that “discussions have been underway for some time”, adding that both parties are “confident that the combination would have the potential [...]
GCA Altium acquires Stella EOC in expansion into entertainment February 14, 2020 Investment bank GCA Altium has announced it will acquire Stella EOC, a technology and media investment banking boutique. The strategic acquisition will strengthen GCA’s technology practice and add to its expertise in the entertainment space. GCA have previously advised on some deals in the entertainment sector, such as the sale of 33 per cent of [...]
Domino’s Pizza sells Norwegian arm as it kick-starts sale of overseas operations February 13, 2020 Domino’s Pizza said today it has sold its Norwegian business to its existing minority shareholder as it moves to extricate itself from its loss-making European operations. The pizza chain said it will sell its 71 per cent shareholding in the Norway business in return for the buyers’ stake in its Swedish operation and a nominal [...]
Wilkinson Sword owner Edgewell abandons $1.4bn Harry’s merger February 10, 2020 Razor maker Edgewell – the owner of Wilkinson Sword – has abandoned plans for a $1.37bn merger with rival firm Harry’s following opposition from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Earlier this month, the FTC filed a lawsuit to block the deal, saying it could hurt competition in the US. Privately owned Harry’s will pursue [...]
European companies could face upsurge in activist raids February 10, 2020 European companies could face an upsurge in activity from activist investors, analysis released today showed. One in 20 European companies with a market capitalisation of over $250m (£193m) have been targeted by activist investors in the past five years. This is half the rate (one in 10) for similar size companies in the US. The [...]
Advent International teams up with rival private equity firms to plot takeover of Pepco February 3, 2020 Private equity firm Advent International is reported to be working with Hellman & Friedman and Mid Europa Partners on a bid for Pepco Group. A takeover could value Pepco at more than €4.5bn (£3.8bn), Sky News reported. Steinhoff International is looking to sell Pepco, which includes retailer Poundland. Advent offloaded Poundland to Warburg Pincus for [...]
Searchlight Capital acquires majority stake in GRP February 3, 2020 Searchlight Capital Partners has announced it will take a majority stake in Global Risk Partners (GRP). GRP founders Peter Cullum CBE and David Margrett, as well as founding investor Penta Capital, will all retain minority stakes. Searchlight paid an undisclosed fee for a majority stake but it is understand that the deal values GRP at [...]
CMA sets out the issues in Amazon’s Deliveroo investment January 28, 2020 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today laid out plans for the next stage of its investigation into the Amazon and Deliveroo tie-up. The regulator has set out the key areas it plans to assess. It includes whether the deal could damage competition in the online restaurant food delivery market and the emerging market [...]
Exclusive: EY plans major private equity push as audit reform looms over sector January 19, 2020 Big Four firm EY is planning a major private equity push as it grapples with potential regulatory changes that could dramatically alter the face of the firm, City A.M. can reveal. Its transaction advisory division is understood to be looking to boost its capabilities in the private equity sector, with the goal of winning more [...]
Value of UK deals almost doubled in ‘spectacular’ end to 2019 January 16, 2020 The value of UK private equity and venture capital deals almost doubled in the last quarter of 2019, boosted by a spate of mega-buyouts worth over €1bn (£854m). Although the total number of deals fell during the three months to 31 December, six mega-buyouts helped propel overall UK deal value to €27bn — an 80 [...]