Bob Diamond’s Atlas Mara sells stake in Zimbabwe private equity firm Brainworks Capital Management June 17, 2015 Atlas Mara, the Africa-focused financial services group owned by former Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond, has sold its 10.1 per cent stake in Brainworks Capital Management, which describes itself as "Zimbabwe's pre-eminent private equity investment and advisory firm". Read more: Why would Bob Diamond want to buy a bank in Rwanda anyway? The deal netted [...]
Private equity firm TPG to move offices to Mayfair’s Park House June 16, 2015 Private equity firm TPG has signed a deal to relocate its European headquarters to a new development opposite Selfridges department store on Oxford Street. The US-based firm, which is currently based at 5-7 Carlton Gardens in London’s St James, has agreed to take the entire fifth floor of Park House on a 15-year lease, the [...]
Tesco’s Dunnhumby has another suitor as Hellman & Friedman join WPP, Nielsen and several private equity firms June 7, 2015 Yet another company has joined the clamor for a slice of Tesco's data business which was behind the supermarket's hugely successful Clubcard loyalty scheme. Hellman & Friedman, the US private equity firm, is the latest bidder said to be interested in Dunnhumby, joining a crowded line-up of potential buyers willing to splash out as much as [...]
Flying off the scale: Fever-Tree’s Tim Warrillow talks malaria, crane strikes and private equity May 25, 2015 We're seeing a renaissance; it’s incredibly exciting. People are better educated and the market is growing and growing – and quite right too, it’s a great English invention.” Tim Warrillow is talking about the gin and tonic – something the co-founder of maverick drinks company Fever-Tree knows a fair bit about. The gin and [...]
Poundworld owners quids in after selling majority stake to US private equity firm TPG in £150m deal May 15, 2015 Britain's second-largest single price retailer Poundworld has been snapped up by US-based private equity group TPG in a deal reportedly valuing the business at £150m. Poundworld was started from a market stall in Wakefield, West Yorkshire in 1974 by owner Chris Edwards Sr and has since growth to have around 270 stores and over 5000 employees. [...]
Avon claims $8bn takeover offer from private equity firm PTG Partners was false May 14, 2015 Avon says it has not received a takeover offer from private equity firm PTG Capital Partners, contradicting a filing released earlier today via the Securities and Exchange Commission. PTG claimed it had made a cash offer to the cosmetics firm worth $8.2bn (£5.2bn), or $18.5-per-share. This is more than three times the company's value according [...]
Private equity goes to the circus April 20, 2015 A GROUP led by the Texas-based private equity fund TPG Capital has bought a controlling stake in the Canadian circus and entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. The group of investors includes Fosun Capital Group, owned by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International. While no financial terms were disclosed for the deal, it is thought to value Cirque du [...]
South African private equity firm Brait in £1.3bn Virgin Active takeover April 16, 2015 High end gym chain Virgin Active was yesterday sold to a South African private equity outfit, scuppering longstanding plans by the company to float on the stock market. Brait, a private equity firm based in Johannesburg, will take an 80 per cent controlling stake in the group, which has 1.3m members and 267 clubs. [...]
Private equity owner HgCapital sells spread betting giant Sporting Index March 23, 2015 Sporting Index, which has around 80 per cent of the spread betting market, was yesterday sold to an unnamed private investor. Private equity owners HgCapital bought the company for £76m from Duke Street Capital in 2005 and had decided to put it up for sale following the 2014 World Cup. Yesterday it agreed the deal, [...]
Private equity executive Randy Work ordered to make £72m divorce payout to ex-wife Mandy Gray by top London court March 10, 2015 A former private equity exec has been ordered to pay his ex-wife £72m – much more than he'd been offering. Randy Work, a former exec at Lone Star, said his estranged wife Mandy Gray should receive just £5m ($7.5m) of his wealth. He said his £150m ($225m) pot was protected by a post-nuptial agreement originally signed in Texas. [...]
