North West private equity market the most active outside London

The private equity market in the North West grew significantly in the third quarter of 2015 with the collective value of the region’s buyouts rising to £126m, according to the Centre for Management Buyout Research (CMBR).

The Q3 figure was generated across six deals, the same as in Q2, and represents a year-on-year increase of £46m, making the North West the most active region besides London.

However, despite the quarterly growth, the value of buyouts completed so far in 2015, at £793m, is £134m lower than the same point in 2014.

According to CMBR data, the Q3 numbers were bolstered with the £50m buyout of Liverpool firm Wealth at Work by investment company Equistone in August. Other notable deals during the three-month period included the sale of Briefing Media Group for £40m to Lyceum Capital, and the sale of cake manufacturer Bright Blue Foods to private equity firm NGBI.

On a national level there were 41 exits in the third quarter, with a total value of more than £5.3bn.

Equistone Partners Europe sponsored the research. The company’s partner in the North, Steve O’Hare, said: “These results show that there are businesses across the North West that offer very attractive prospects for investors and management teams looking to enhance their shareholdings in their business.

“We saw this first-hand, backing Wealth at Work last month, and with the recent raise of our new €2bn Fund V, we are continuing to look for quality businesses to invest in.”

He added: “The continuing strong performance of the North West is extremely encouraging, and we are likely to see this continue over the coming months.”

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