Inmarsat posts fall in first-quarter profit ahead of $3.4bn private equity takeover May 1, 2019 Satellite communications firm Inmarsat has posted a double-digit fall in profits for the first quarter ahead of its $3.4bn (£2.6bn) private equity takeover. Read more: Inmarsat prepares to go private in $3.4bn takeover The figures Inmarsat posted a 0.4 per cent uptick in revenue to $346.9m in the three months to the end of March. [...]
Catlin founder launches new insurer Convex with $1.8bn capital April 30, 2019 The founder of Catlin has launched a new insurer today, four years after the $4.1bn (£3.14bn) sale of his eponymous company. Stephen Catlin will be chair and chief executive of the new insurer, called Convex, with former Catlin chief underwriting officer Paul Brand as deputy chief executive. Read more: XL Group profits jump following Catlin [...]
Care home provider Four Seasons Health Care appoints administrators April 30, 2019 Care home group Four Seasons Health Care has gone into administration, the company announced today. Alvarez & Marsal has been appointed administrator to holding companies Elli Investments and Elli Finance after rescue talks to reduce the firm’s debt pile failed. Read more: Four Seasons ticks on with a £40m injection The group said that the operating companies [...]
Private equity firm Inflexion raises £1bn in two buyout funds April 29, 2019 Private equity firm Inflexion, which owns retailer Mountain Warehouse and previously backed clothing brand Jack Wills, has raised £1bn from US investors attracted to the UK by the Brexit related slide in sterling. The two funds, which are expected to be officially announced this week, will target small and mid-sized deals and co-investment opportunities with [...]
Jaguar Land Rover weighing up bid for London cab company Addison Lee April 28, 2019 Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is weighing up an offer for London-based taxi company Addison Lee in a bid to keep up with companies such as Uber, the Sunday Telegraph reported yesterday. Read more: Jaguar and Addison Lee trial their driverless cars in London Addison Lee was put up for sale by its owner, US private [...]
Private equity investment boosts UK business revenue by more than 50 per cent April 25, 2019 Private equity backed businesses saw revenue soar by more than half in the last five years, new data published today shows. Investment by private equity firms boosted revenue at UK firms by 53 per cent, from £30.7bn in 2013 to £47.1bn last year. Read more: US private equity activity slumps in first quarter In the [...]
Cafe bar operator raises £83m ahead of float as valuation comes in below City expectations April 24, 2019 Cafe bar operator Loungers has raised more than £80m today ahead of its listing next week. Read more: Restaurant sector defies confidence slump as UK leisure spending grows However, the group is set to valued at £185m when it floats, falling below City expectations of a £250m market capitalisation. The owner of 146 neighbourhood, café bars [...]
US owner of healthcare firm The Priory Group eyes £1bn sale amid scandal over quality of care April 21, 2019 The US healthcare firm behind The Priory Group is mulling a £1bn sale of the mental healthcare provider amid a scandal over the quality of care in its hospitals. Acadia Healthcare has appointed a financial adviser to explore a possible sale of the firm, the Mail on Sunday reported, citing City sources. Read more: Only [...]
Edinburgh Airport owner eyes £2bn sale as aviation infrastructure values soar April 21, 2019 Edinburgh Airport could be sold this year for as much as £2bn as its private equity owner looks to cash in on skyrocketing aviation infrastructure valuations. Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), the airport’s largest shareholder, is eyeing the hefty price tag amid plans to sell its majority stake, the Sunday Telegraph reported, citing City sources. Read [...]
You can’t blame Brexit for the British car industry’s woes April 15, 2019 Quizzed by Nick Hewer on Honda’s decision to close its Swindon plant earlier this month on BBC radio, I suggested that blaming Brexit for the demise of the Japanese auto makers factory with the loss of 3,500 jobs was not the whole story. Certainly, Brexit plays havoc with the vehicle industry’s sophisticated just-in-time supply chain. [...]