A cheeky website about deals, dealmakers and anything else I find interesting. Edited by Ben Harrington. If you have a tip, want to discuss a story or have a subscription enquiry please feel free to email Betaville at [email protected]. Betaville can also be reached at Whats App, Signal or Telegram. Betaville's Twitter handle is @bharringtonw11 and you can message me via Twitter with stories.
It sounds like Oak Furniture Land, one of Britain's largest furniture retailers, is edging towards a deal to sell a stake in the £400 million business.
Readers might recall I wrote this piece - https://www.www.betaville.co.uk/news/oak-furniture-land-hires-pricewaterhousecoopers-to-review-strategic-options-sources/ - back in January 2017...
Another week, another great scoop from Jim Armitage, City editor at the Evening Standard. This time the senior hack has dug up a tale about Smith & Williamson, the City fund manager, being put up for sale by its Canadian backers for an estimated £450 million. Here is the link:..
A private equity firm is said to be studying the possibility of buying Dutch food ingredients company Corbion NV.
People claiming to be familiar with the matter said CVC Capital Partners, one of Europe's largest buy-out houses, has been working on a plan to take the company private.
According to these people, bankers at Credit Suisse are advising CVC on the potential deal...
The details of another Betaville Intelligence article have been finally confirmed - Aim-listed Flowgroup unveiled its equity capital fundraising after the market closed yesterday. Here is the link in case you missed it:
The Mergermarket Group - publisher of Mergermarket, Dealreporter and Debtwire - has today announced the purchase of Tim Group, a technology platform that allows brokers and investors to share long/short and quantitative trading ideas. Here is the link:
http://timgroup.com/tim-group-acquired-by-mergermarket-group/..
The mainstream financial press appeared to have skirted over the fact that metals explorer Pembridge Resources is looking to quit the Alternative Investment Market for a standard listing on the London Stock Exchange, so I thought I would take a look at the issue on little old Betaville...
It's good to see Irish oil and gas explorer Europa Oil & Gas confirm yesterday's Betaville Intelligence scoopette. Here is the link to today's announcement:
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Oil and gas explorer Europa Oil & Gas is said to be on the verge of announcing an equity fundraising.
Aim-listed Europa, which has seven licences in off the coast of Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean, is looking to raise around £4 million via a placing and open offer, according to sources familiar with the matter.
These sources said stockbrokers at FinnCap are leading the equity fundraising, which could be announced in the next few days...
A respected British fund manager gets in touch with little old Betaville to air his complaint about "lock-ups" that are supposed to restrict private equity firms and founding shareholders from selling their stock in companies that have recently floated on the London market...
Gemalto is said to have received a fresh takeover approach from a mystery buyer.
In April, a Betaville Intelligence RARE Alert reported a mystery buyer was said to be circling the digitial security company after approaching Gemalto with a non-binding takeover proposal conditional upon due diligence.
However, since then Gemalto unveiled another profit warning, sending the company's shares significantly lower...
Two conflicting reports have been published hot on the heals the New York Post's tale earlier this week about US consumer goods giant Colgate-Palmolive weighing a sale at $100 a share...
It sounds like the equity fundraising being carried out by UK Oil and Gas Investments - also known as the "Gatwick Gusher" or UKOG - is going well.
People with knowledge of the situation said the the company, which is looking for oil in Surrey and Sussex, is close to raising the previously stated £6.5 million at 0.85p a share...
Jim Armitage landed a cracking scoop this morning for the Evening Standard, now edited by the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, about how two London-listed TV production companies are in merger talks...
I see the New York Post is today carrying a story about how consumer goods giant Colgate-Palmolive could be looking to sell the business. Here is the link:
http://nypost.com/2017/05/16/colgate-palmolive-could-be-looking-to-sell/..
That's Andrew Bracey, the former chief financial officer of Ocado and ex investment banker at Barclays, UBS and Credit Suisse.
Since leaving his job as chief financial officer at Michael Page the dealmaker has set up buy-out firm Midlothian Capital Partners, which has already done a couple of major deals. They include the £217 million purchase of garden centre group Dobbies from Tescos and the £103 million acquisition of Park Leisure, the caravan park and holiday homes group...
Another day, another Betaville scoopette gets confirmed. This time asset finance company 1pm has confirmed my story from earlier today. I have pasted the confirmation below for those followers who might have missed it:
http://www.investegate.co.uk/1pm-plc--opm-/rns/statement-re-press-comment/201705151600031819F/..
Aim-listed 1pm is preparing to launch an equity capital fundraising to raise around £10 million to finance an acquisition of a rival.
Sources familiar with the matter said asset finance company 1pm has instructed stockbrokers Cenkos to lead the equity capital fundraising, which is expected to raise between £10 million and £12 million...
Apparently, Lloyds Banking Group bosses - including Antonio Horta-Osorio, chief executive, and chairman Baron Blackwell of Woodcote - did their usual thing at the Annual General Meeting earlier this week of putting a brave face on the bad news...
This piece - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-11/ctrip-blackstone-said-to-weigh-bids-for-prosieben-travel-arm - from Bloomberg would appear to confirm little old Betaville's Intelligence piece from a few weeks ago. Here is the link in case you don't recall: ..
Apologies for the delayed post Betavillers I have just returned to my desk following a rather delicious lunch. Anyway, I see Aim-listed Flowgroup has confirmed yesterday's Betaville Intelligence piece. Here is the link in case you missed it:
[Disclaimer - the information on Betaville does not consitute any form of investment recommendation and is not intended to be relied upon by readers in making, or refraining from, any investment decisions].