Key Capital Partners

The research explored all later-stage transactions completed between May 2007 and April 2008 with an enterprise value of between £5 million and £15 million. This highlighted a particularly competitive offering in the North, but only six deals completed in the East of England in the given timeframe.

Cambridge-based Key Capital Partners, which backed the management buyout of Kings Lynn-based Pandora Books in April, came joint top of the private equity firms, along with ISIS Equity Partners and Barclays Ventures.

The study also revealed the leading lenders in the market, with Yorkshire & Clydesdale, Barclays and HSBC beating RBS, HBOS and Lloyds to the top of the table. BDO Stoy Hayward topped the corporate finance advisory table, and Cobbetts and Eversheds led the legal field.

Mike Fell, partner at Key Capital Partners, said: “Many private equity firms have moved out of the equity gap over recent years to focus on larger transactions. This trend belies the exciting opportunities open to investors interested in assisting smaller, ambitious businesses to grow.

“In the current economic climate, generating quality deals and being able to provide flexible, low-geared deal structures will be the key themes for 2008 and 2009. This is a challenge that private equity firms, advisers and bankers must grasp with both hands, but it also presents a great opportunity for everyone involved.”



* The Corpfin Worldwide study explored all later-stage transactions (including MBOs, MBIs, IBOs, SBOs, BIMBOs, Bolt-On acquisitions, P2Ps and investments of capital for development purposes) completed between May 2007 and April 2008, with a disclosed deal value and an enterprise value of between £5 million and £15 million.

The rankings were as follows:

Private Equity

Rank                                                            Equity House                        No. of Deals

1                                                            Key Capital Partners                        4

1                                                            ISIS Equity Partners                         4

1                                                            Barclays Ventures                            4

4                                                            Endless                                           3

4                                                            YFM                                                3

4                                                            NVM                                               3


Debt

Rank                                                            Debt Provider                        No. of Deals

1                                                            Yorkshire/Clydesdale                        6

1                                                            Barclays Bank PLC                           6

1                                                            HSBC                                               6

4                                                            Royal Bank of Scotland                      4

5                                                            HBOS PLC                                        3

5                                                            Lloyds TSB                                        3
 

Corporate Finance

Rank                                                            Corporate Finance                        No. of Deals

1                                                            BDO Stoy Hayward                                    9

2                                                            Grant Thornton                                           8

3                                                            KPMG                                                       5

3                                                            PKF                                                          5

5                                                            Ernst & Young                                           4

5                                                            Clearwater CF                                            4

5                                                            Deloitte                                                     4
 

Legal

Rank                                                            Law Firm                                    No. of Deals

1                                                            Cobbetts                                               7

1                                                            Eversheds                                             7

3                                                            Olswang                                               5

3                                                            Osborne Clarke                                     5

5                                                            Addleshaw Goddard                               4

5                                                            DLA Piper                                             4

5                                                            Pinsent Masons                                     4

5                                                            Wragge & Co                                         4

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Press Contact: Lauren Jones @ MC2 0161 2361352