Terra Firma founder Guy Hands launches new special opportunities fund to buy Finnish modular building company October 4, 2018 Private equity tycoon Guy Hands has launched a new special opportunities fund that has invested in Finnish modular building company Parmaco. The deal, which comes after the £4bn refinancing and recapitalisation of Annington Homes in July last year, will see a Terra Firma led consortium acquire Parmaco from Finnish private equity group MB Funds. Read more: Guy Hands plotting £1.3bn sale of Italian solar [...]
Royal London joins group of investors preparing to vote against Unilever Netherlands move October 3, 2018 Royal London Asset Management is the latest Unilever shareholder to speak out against the company's plan to scrap its London listing and headquarters. Unilever has proposed to simplify its current dual-headed structure into a single holding Dutch company, with a secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange, however a growing list of investors have announced [...]
Investment giant Pimco strengthens municipal bond arm with Gurtin acquisition October 3, 2018 US asset management giant Pimco has bought muni bond investment firm Gurtin, its first acquisition since appointing new chief executive Emmanuel Roman. Gurtin Municipal Bond Management has more than $14bn (£10.78bn) of assets under management and the combined business will manage $38bn in dedicated municipal bond assets. Read more: Pimco hires ex-Blackstone vice chair John Studzinski It is the first [...]
Soho House boss says second City of London venue has not been ruled out October 2, 2018 The boss of private members club chain Soho House said the company had not ruled out opening a second venue in The City following the success of The Ned, as the business reported boosted revenue in its 2017 results. Chief executive Nick Jones, who founded the original venue in Soho's Greek Street in 1995, told City A.M. that [...]
London investment fund Fuel Ventures raises £20m for expansion into Middle East and China October 2, 2018 London early stage venture capital firm Fuel Ventures has raised £20m in its third fund since 2014. The fund plans to invest in one company a month going forward as the firm expands into China, Europe and the Middle East. Read more: Planet Organic prepares for expansion drive after fund takeover Fuel Ventures' portfolio of companies, which [...]
A third of non-investors say they would consider ethical investment funds October 2, 2018 A third of non-investors would consider putting their money into ethical funds, according to a new survey. More than half of Brits said they prefer to use ethical financial products and 64 per cent of those said they were prepared to pay extra for socially conscious services, research by online investment service Wealthify said. Read more: UBS launches [...]
Former House of Fraser directors dismissed amid calls for an investigation October 1, 2018 The former directors and senior management of House of Fraser have been dismissed following the department store's collapse. Sports Direct, which bought the beleaguered high street chain for £90m in August, announced that it has sacked the former top team amid calls for an investigation into the company's spiral into administration. Read more: Mike Ashley blames landlords [...]
Banco Santander issues warning on impact of Brexit uncertainty October 1, 2018 Spanish lender Banco Santander has warned that the uncertainty surrounding the UK's exit from the EU is likely to have an adverse impact on the bank's operations. In a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the bank said that the lack of clarity on the Brexit deal for financial services and the status of [...]
Corporate services firm Hawksford opens new London office October 1, 2018 Corporate services firm Hawksford has launched a new London office following the acquisition of audit and accountancy practice SH Landes. The New Oxford Street office, which will be led by Steven Landes, demonstrates confidence in London as a global centre for international finance, the company said. Read more: We found dogs and ice cream rotas in [...]
Private equity powerhouse Advent International closes £1.7bn deal to acquire pharmaceutical company Zentiva October 1, 2018 Global private equity firm Advent International has acquired European pharmaceutical company Zentiva for €1.9bn (£1.69bn). Advent International confirmed today that it backed the divestment of the European generics division of biopharmaceutical company Sanofi to create an independent business. The private equity firm will focus investment on the company's operations, production facilities and research and development (R&D). Read more: Advent has [...]
