Not much in life is certain. Just ask New Look and Merlin Entertainments, which in recent weeks have confidently announced plans to float only to have to change tack within days, faced with the reality of wobbly stock markets and less than enthusiastic fund managers. Neither of them got so far as embarking on the so-called road show for investment institutions that precedes a float.
Both Dorset businesses are backed by private
equity, but that shouldn’t in itself have been a
problem. The big rise in stock markets last year was
meant to herald a busy start to this year, allowing
private equity funds to begin to cash in some on
the big investments they made in the boom years.
So far, though, these plans are falling over. Why? Not because there is anything wrong with these businesses, but because the institutions and pension funds that might invest are backing off, reckoning that further down the line, companies with debt on their books might be available more cheaply.
It’s a stand-off that will play out at some point, but there’s no telling how the story ends. The mainstream institutions may be thinking that if conditions in the debt markets don’t improve for companies with chunky borrowings, the companies may come back on the market more cheaply. The private equity owners, for their part, will want debt market conditions to ease and market sentiment to improve.
The situation shows up how every ownership or capital-raising decision by a company will have risks attached to it. Public listings put you at the mercy of the global stock markets, while private equity is also risky but potentially lucrative, with companies that get into bed with private equity houses pursuing a high-growth agenda that’s supported by debt. Yet equally for many private companies, just trading through to calmer waters is sometimes easier said than done, particularly if cashflow or financing is an issue.
There are almost as many approaches to the finance conundrum as there are companies. To read how some are successfully navigating these and other challenges, read our Growth 100 feature this month (p23). We talked to a clutch of companies that are still growing and pushing ahead.
Christian Annesley, editor
Also in: March 2010
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Beyond the sea
Creative companies are being urged to look abroad for opportunities. Christian Annesley finds out how they can to make the leap.
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That vision thing
Recession or no recession, Plymouth has plenty of reasons for optimism as the city’s Mackay Vision gradually takes shape. Kurt Jacobs reports on a year of progress.