Euro buyout market peak

According to figures from CMBOR, a provider of analysis on the UK buyout market founded by Barclays Private Equity and Deloitte, the UK is still the largest market at €35bn, followed by France at €15.8bn and Germany at €14.4bn. Secondary buyouts were the most valuable source in Continental Europe (€20.2 bn) and public-to-privates the most valuable in the UK (€20.7bn).

Tom Lamb, co-head of Barclays Private Equity, says: “Continental Europe continues to be where most of the big deals are completed: just two of the 15 largest deals in the first half of 2007 were in the UK. But the UK still leads the way on public-to-privates, with seven of the top 10 such deals in the same period.”

He adds: “On the exit side, secondary buyouts have continued to dominate, accounting for half of the exits by number and eight of the top 10 exits by value. It remains to be seen whether the changes in the credit market over the summer limit this type of exit option for private equity managers.”