Kester Capital backs management buyout of Yougarden October 21, 2019 Kester Capital has thrown its weight behind a management buyout of Yougarden, as the online garden centre seeks to grow its influence over the UK’s horticultural market. Founded in 2012, Yougarden operates a direct-to-consumer brand and also supplies retailers including Amazon, Groupon and Shop Direct. Read more: M&A activity targeting UK slumps amid no-deal Brexit [...]
Temasek mulls purchase of Atkins from SNC-Lavalin October 20, 2019 Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek has reportedly held talks about a possible takeover of British engineering giant Atkins. Canadian conglomerate SNC-Lavalin, which bought Atkins in 2017, is believed to have approached potential bidders including Temasek over the sale of the engineering firm, the Sunday Times reported. Read more: Shares in UK engineer Renishaw fall as [...]
London Stock Exchange third quarter income climbs as CFO set to retire October 18, 2019 London Stock Exchange today posted robust gains in its third quarter for its first set of results since rejecting a hostile £32bn takeover bid from Hong Kong. Total income climbed 12 per cent year on year to £587m in the three months to the end of September. Read more: Why Hong Kong’s bid for the [...]
Seplat Petroleum expands production with £382m purchase of Eland Oil & Gas October 15, 2019 Nigerian oil company Seplat Petroleum is set to acquire London-listed Eland Oil & Gas for £382m. The West African oil group will pay 166 pence per share for Eland, which translates into a premium of 28.5 per cent from the company’s closing price on Monday. Read more: Afren in talks to recapitalise after Seplat deal [...]
Takeover titan and Blackstone boss Steve Schwarzman talks charity, business and life advice October 14, 2019 Private equity does not have a reputation for giving away money: on the contrary, it is an industry known for its hard-headed obsession with turning a profit though buying companies and selling them on. So it comes as something of a surprise to find that the boss of the world’s biggest private equity company, Steve [...]
Sophos shares jump as it announces £3bn US private equity buyout October 14, 2019 Cyber security group Sophos shares spiked this morning as it announced it is to be bought out by a US private equity firm, in a deal that values it at £3.1bn. Thoma Bravo said this morning it would take Sophos private, as it dives deeper into the booming cyber security sector. Read more: Sophos share [...]
Competition watchdog to examine £1.3bn tie-up between Slug and Lettuce-owner Stonegate and pub chain Ei Group October 11, 2019 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today said it was considering whether the £1.3bn merger between Slug and Lettuce-owner Stonegate and pub chain Ei Group would lessen competition. The watchdog invited comments on the deal from any relevant party by 25 October. Read more: Slug and Lettuce owner Stonegate Pub Company to pay £1.3bn for [...]
European private equity buyouts climb to 12-year high October 9, 2019 Private equity buyout investment in European companies grew significantly during the third quarter, with UK buyouts jumping almost 70 per cent. The total volume of buyouts across Europe reached a 12-year high during the period with 296 deals, according to research released today by Unquote Data. Total deal value increased 28 per cent on the [...]
Hong Kong abandons £32bn bid for London Stock Exchange October 8, 2019 Shares in the London Stock Exchange (LSE) dropped as much as six per cent today after Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) confirmed it has abandoned its audacious £32bn takeover bid. “HKEX confirms that it does not intend to make an offer for LSE,” it told the market on open. Read more: Shareholders tell HKEX [...]
Flutter shares jump 14 per cent on £11bn merger with Stars Group to create one of the world’s largest gambling firms October 2, 2019 Flutter Entertainment and Nasdaq- and Toronto-listed Stars Group said today they were merging in a deal that will create one of the world’s largest gambling businesses. Shareholders in Flutter, formerly known as Paddy Power Betfair, will own approximately 54.6 per cent of the new company with Stars shareholders owning approximately 45.3 per cent of the [...]