PHP sweetens Assura bid amid ongoing contest with KKR June 13, 2025 Primary Health Properties (PHP) has offered a number of concessions to Assura as it fights to beat private equity giant KKR in its bid for the real estate investment trust. PHP, which has already made a number of bids for Assura – the latest at 51.7p per share, or £1.68bn – pledged to lower Assura’s [...]
Bargain Britain: UK firms under siege by foreign takeovers June 12, 2025 The London Stock Exchange has suffered a bruising week as private equity firms and foreign giants continue to snap up British bargains. Markets were hit with a double blow on Wednesday after Canadian consultancy giant acquired engineering firm Ricardo and KKR returned with a final bid for GP Landlord Assura. Assura has recommended a cash [...]
FTSE 100 flirts with record high but falters once more June 11, 2025 The FTSE 100 once more narrowly missed on a record closing high on Wednesday after faltering in the final moments of the trading session. The UK’s flagship index edged up 0.13 per cent to 8864.35p. This brought it just short of March’s record close of 8871.31p. Housebuilders topped the morning risers with Persimmon and Barratt [...]
Private equity giant KKR returns with final bid for Assura June 11, 2025 UK healthcare property firm Assura has received its “best and final offer” from KKR, which is set to trigger another delisting blow for the London Stock Exchange. Assura has recommended a cash offer from Sana Bidco, a vehicle owned by KKR and Stonepeak, which values the firm at 52.1p per share. Shares in Assura closed [...]
Thames Water lenders offer £17bn plan, push Ofwat for ‘regulatory reset’ June 10, 2025 A group of Thames Water’s major creditors have put forward a sweeping, multibillion-pound rescue deal, while calling for forgiveness of historic fines from Ofwat. Major investment firms, including Aberdeen and Elliott Management, are among the investors, who have said they have “the funding and experience required to deliver a transformation of the company’s performance which is intended [...]
Thames Water mess could soon swamp ministers – and taxpayers June 4, 2025 Water takes the path of least resistance, and so – on this occasion as least – does private equity. Apparently deterred by the increasingly hostile political and regulatory environment KKR, the US giant which secured ‘preferred bidder status’ for a takeover of Thames Water, pulled the plug on its £4bn investment over the weekend. They [...]
Thames Water: What next after KKR walks? June 3, 2025 Thames Water was dealt a crushing blow this morning after its preferred bidder, the US private equity giant KKR, abruptly withdrew from its pursuit of the embattled utility. The decision leaves the UK’s largest water supplier without a buyer and puts it back on the brink of administration. It follows just a week after it [...]
Environment secretary says Thames Water has ‘a number’ of options June 3, 2025 Environment secretary Steve Reed told LBC’s Nick Ferrari that there are “a number” of potential investors for Thames Water, just minutes after news broke that US private equity firm KKR had dropped out of a last ditch effort to save the embattled water giant. Reed had already been booked to appear for a ‘Call the [...]
Blow to Thames Water as KKR pulls out of equity raise June 3, 2025 Thames Water’s battle to escape nationalisation has suffered a hammer blow after KKR withdrew its bid to acquire an equity stake in the business. The US private equity giant had been selected as a preferred partner for the debt-laden utility business as part of its efforts to raise funds, with KKR having “prepared detailed plans, [...]
Severn Trent paid over £2m to fight off bill overcharging lawsuit May 22, 2025 Severn Trent paid out more than £2m in legal fees to defend allegations it had overcharged millions of household consumers by underreporting sewage leaks. Professional costs increased by £2.3m last year, according to the firm’s annual report. These were mainly in relation to a class action claim brought against Severn Trent and a number of [...]