UK private equity firms Circle for Evans February 22, 2015 BRITISH private equity players ECI Partners and Graphite Capital are vying to take a controlling interest in UK bicycle store chain Evans Cycles, it emerged yesterday. Crawley-based Evans is up for sale for £100m. Both buyout firms – who declined to comment – have been invited to submit second-round bids by Evans-owner Active Private Equity.
Private equity firm Hellman in Auto Trader bid February 1, 2015 PRIVATE equity firm Hellman & Friedman is putting together a takeover bid for used car business Auto Trader, which could put an end to the firm’s plans to float on the London stock market. A source close to the deal said an offer from the US private equity house was a “logical step” for Auto [...]
TheTrainline.com boss Clare Gilmartin “delighted” as US private equity giant KKR snaps up rail ticket seller January 22, 2015 US private equity player KKR yesterday announced its acquisition of TheTrainline.com, the UK’s leading online platform for selling rail tickets, from buyout rival Exponent for an undisclosed sum. TheTrainline.com is the most downloaded travel app in the UK and ranks fifth by gross transaction value in the UK’s e-commerce sector. The company is licensed to [...]
Private equity guru Damon Buffini exits UK’s Permira after nearly three decades January 20, 2015 Veteran Permira executive Damon Buffini, who worked his way up from humble origins to become one of the most powerful men in the City, has announced his exit from the group after 27 years. Buffini became a lightning rod for anti-business campaigns at the height of the buyout boom when he was Permira’s managing partner. [...]
Active Private Equity set for £7m investment in Honest Burgers January 18, 2015 British investment firm Active Private Equity is set to take a stake in fast-growing gourmet burger chain Honest Burgers, it emerged yesterday. The venture capital and private equity specialist, which owns stakes in Evans cycles shops and Leon cafes, is reportedly investing £7m in return for 50 per cent of the business. Active’s Spencer Skinner [...]
US private equity giant TA Associates swoops for Essex-based software firm Access Group January 18, 2015 US private equity firm TA Associates has acquired Essex-based technology company Access Group in a deal thought to be worth over £225m, it emerged yesterday. Access Group is a software consultancy and developer headquartered in Colchester, primarily serving UK mid-market businesses. Employing approximately 450 staff, the firm’s 6,000-strong client base includes the Leicester Tigers rugby [...]
Private equity firms line up for £400m ticket to Big Bus Tours January 11, 2015 A HOST of international private equity firms are vying to acquire British sightseeing bus tour operator Big Bus Tours, it emerged yesterday. European buyout specialist Permira, the UK-headquartered Exponent Private Equity, America’s Advent International and Omers Private Equity – the investment arm of a Canadian pension fund – are circling the London-based company, which is [...]
Private equity floats at highest since 1998 December 21, 2014 NEW STOCK market listings of private equity backed firms like SSP, led by chief executive Kate Swann, rose to their highest level since 1998 this year, according to figures from the centre for management buy-out research, at EY and Equistone. There were 43 PE-backed floats across Europe in 2014, worth €44bn, according to the stats.
Sky offloads online betting business Sky Bet for £800m to private equity firm CVC Capital December 4, 2014 Sky has sold off the majority of its online betting business Sky Bet to private equity firm CVC Capital for £800m to concentrate on its new Europe-wide TV business. The deal will net Sky £600m in cash and a further deferred £120m, giving CVC Capital an 80 per cent stake in the business. Sky has [...]
US private equity firm KSL Capital Partner buys De Vere’s Village resorts for £485m November 26, 2014 British hotels and leisure firm De Vere Group yesterday agreed the £485m sale of its Village Urban Resorts hotels chain to US private equity firm KSL Capital Partner. KSL – a Denver-headquartered firm focused on the travel and leisure businesses – acquires the Village’s 25 existing hotels along with three new properties under development in [...]