Blackstone and KKR are understood to be pursuing an interest in two retail units owned by GUS, despite a recent announcement by the UK retail group to demerge the businesses.
Neil Darke, a director at UK broker Collins Stewart, gave measured support to the Bank of England’s Financial Stability Report, which warned of the danger of increased coporate debt as companies review the amount of leverage in their balance sheets.
VNU, owned by a private equity consortium including KKR, Blackstone and Carlyle, plans to raise $1.67 billion of new debt to finance the acquisition.
UK lower mid-market firms Sovereign Capital and Palamon Capital Partners have had a busy week, with Sovereign completing two deals, while Palamon closed its €670m second fund and invested in a German corporate gift certificate company.
The Paris-listed private equity manager has targeted external investors for the first time to give the group additional deal-doing capacity and to create a new revenue stream.
After being recapped by JPMorgan Partners and Ares Management in 2004, House of Blues Entertainment has been sold for $350 million.
In June, five seasoned media and communications investors gathered in Midtown Manhattan for an on-the-record discussion about opportunities in this rapidly changing market. David Snow reports on a lively exchange of views between these partners and rivals.
Two years after closing EQT IV, EQT Partners is back in the market raising a new buyout fund.
Leveraged loan investor Babson Capital has rolled out its first dedicated mezzanine fund as pricing begins to settle against background of interest rate uncertainty.
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, The Carlyle Group and Merrill Lynch Private Equity reclaim almost half of their original equity investment in the rental car company via a debt-financing commitment.