Revealed: The private equity billionaire’s empire behind your favourite podcasts April 10, 2025 Conni Jonsson might not be a household name in the UK but this Swedish private equity billionaire is behind some of the most popular podcasts in the country. Jonsson is the founder of EQT AB, a Swedish global investment organisation set up in 1994. He also owns investment firm Qarlbo, which in turns holds 80 [...]
Arla Foods: Lurpak maker plans €19bn merger April 8, 2025 Arla Foods, the group behind brands such as Lurpak and Cravendale, has announced a merger which could create a €19bn giant. The Swedish-Danish diary co-operative, whose UK headquarters is in Leeds, has revealed plans to merge with Germany-headquartered DMK Group. If it goes ahead, the merger would bring together 12,000 farmers across Europe with the [...]
UK board members brace for wave of takeover bids March 24, 2025 Non-executive directors of UK companies and bracing for a wave of takeover bids throughout 2025 as British firms face continual share price weakness. As many as 80 per cent of non-executive directors said that their companies are more vulnerable to a takeover bid, according to data from investment bank Peel Hunt. Last year, a host [...]
AIM: Private equity takeovers reach £5bn over last year March 24, 2025 The value of AIM-listed takeovers by private equity firms has reached £5bn over the last year as the number of companies on London’s junior stock exchange continues to drop. Private equity houses continued to be the major driver of AIM M&A deals, accounting for 62 per cent of M&A deals by value, according to data [...]
Number of private equity deals in sport soared in 2024, report says March 9, 2025 The number of major sports acquisitions and mergers by Private Equity has nearly doubled in the last 12 months. Private Equity deals have risen from 96 in 2023 to 190 in 2024, according to a new report. Financial advisory firm Oaklins states that there has been an overall 44 per cent increase in deals – [...]
Foreign takeovers of UK companies plummet amid M&A decline March 4, 2025 The number of foreign investors launching M&A deals for UK companies plummeted in the fourth quarter of last year, with only £4.5bn spent by buyers from abroad. According to data from the Office for National Statistics, the number of foreign companies acquiring UK companies (known as ‘inward M&A) fell to its to its lowest level [...]
Kurt Geiger sold to New York’s Steve Madden for £289m February 13, 2025 Private equity firm Cinven has announced the sale of Kurt Geiger to shoe brand Steve Madden for £289m. Cinven bought the footwear and accessories brand in 2015 for £245m, and has since greatly expanded the business in the US. In America alone, sales surged by 58.7 per cent to over £110m from February to September [...]
Harland & Wolff: Over 1,000 jobs saved at Titanic builder after £70m rescue deal completes January 28, 2025 A deal to save troubled shipbuilder Harland & Wolff, which crashed into administration owing more than £160m last year, has been completed. The acquisition, first announced in December 2024, will save over 1,000 jobs. Spain-headquartered Navantia has acquired the business and assets of Harland & Wolff Group, which include all four operating yards in Belfast, Appledore, Methil [...]
Zip World sold for £100m to Dolphin Capital January 26, 2025 A majority stake in adventure park operator Zip World has been acquired by private equity firm Dolphin Capital in a deal worth £100m. Zip World, which is headquartered in Llanrwst, Wales, has become the latest investment for the Oxfordshire-based private equity firm which already counts the likes of Snowcentres, Techmet and Dynisma in its portfolio. The [...]
Food and drink deals spike as big firms look to strengthen positions January 23, 2025 M&A deal volumes in the food and drink sector saw a double digit rise last year, as buyers targeted undervalued companies in a bid to strengthen their positions in the market. Total deal volume rose to 151 deals in 2024, a 29.1 per cent increase from 117 deals in the previous year, while the total [...]