Foreign investors lead private equity takeovers of UK companies

Quit: Darktrace boss Poppy Gustafsson leaves her role

Foreign investors are buying the biggest stakes in British companies amid a flurry of private equity deals.

According to an analysis by Barclays and data firm Beauhurst, less than a tenth of deals involving British companies in the first half of 2024 involved a foreign investor, but this represented 60 percent of the total amount invested.

Some of Britain’s best-known companies have fended off predatory private equity firms this year, including Direct Line.

US group Thoma Bravo has struck a £4.3bn deal to buy Cambridge-based cybersecurity firm Darktrace, with the firm’s boss, Poppy Gustafsson, stepping down immediately.

Between May and July, private equity firms invested £3.5 billion in UK companies.

Barclays Private Bank’s Shenal Kakad said “companies are staying private for longer” and encouraged investors to look to private equity for funds.

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