A cheeky website about deals, dealmakers and anything else I find interesting. Edited by Ben Harrington. If you have a tip, want to discuss a story or have a subscription enquiry please feel free to email Betaville at [email protected]. Betaville can also be reached at Whats App, Signal or Telegram. Betaville's Twitter handle is @bharringtonw11 and you can message me via Twitter with stories.
Loyal readers will have picked up on my scepticism about the recent Restaurant Group bid rumours in my "Burnt fingers" series. However, perhaps too much time in journalism (over a decade now) can make you too cynical...
Just when you thought it couldn't get any more bizarre, little old Betaville can add another intriguing twist to the BHS saga...
Great to see another Betaville scoopette confirmed this morning on the UK's regulatory news service.
Here are the links to the confirmations to this morning's jackanory.
http://www.investegate.co.uk/imaginatik-plc--imtk-/rns/press-speculation/201605171051584715Y/..
Imaginatik, in which controversial businessman Rob Terry has been re-building a substantial stake, is preparing a £2 million equity fundraising.
City sources told little old Betaville that Finn Cap, Imaginatik's brokers, is working on a plan to raise £1.5 million via a placing and £500,000 via an open offer to investors.
Apparently, the software consulting company wants the extra cash to spend on sales, marketing and technology and rest will be used for working capital...
There were a couple of pieces in the Saturday business sections that caught my eye...
The former buy-out arm of ABN Amro is weighing a £100 million plus sale of one of Britain's oldest manufacturing businesses...
Strange - Bloomberg hacks are now arguing the dealmaking boom isn't over. Here is the link:
I'm confused.....
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly things can change in mega cap dealmaking...
Tom Hayes, the imprisoned Libor trader, has seen a huge response to his fundraising efforts for his appeal.
So far, according to the website, Hayes has raised £16,890. Here is the link if you want to make a donation.
https://fundrazr.com/tomhayesliborscapegoat..
It's pretty quiet in private equity land (thanks to the Brexit referendum) but here's a little update on the Radley auction I wrote about last week.
I just picked up from good sources that Bregal Freshstream, a newish buy-out firm, is also participating in the sale process of the handbag maker...
It's funny how in dealmaking in certain sectors suddenly becomes fashionable. And this week it's popcorn that is in vogue...
Deal watchers interested in understanding how M&A reporting works might be interested in signing up to an event being held by the Cass Business School's "M&A Research Centre"...
I see Imagination Technologies has just disclosed that Chinese outfit Tsinghua Unigroup International has bought a 3pc stake in the chip designer...
There weren't many large cap M&A scoops in the Sunday business sections this weekend but I guess that's to be expected in the run up to the Brexit referendum. ..
Is that Benji Martin sitting alongside Sir Richard Branson (see below)?
Well, if it is I take my hat off to the top Telegraph reporter because I have to admit, I can't say I ever got to appear in a public picture with such a powerful business person during my 8-year career on the paper.
..
Here are a couple of retail industry snippets I stumbled across whilst galavanting around the City (of London) today looking for stories...
Market punters that like to bet on the next takeover deal are likely to be experiencing burnt fingers for the second time in a week...
Ping! An email arrives with the latest Odey Asset Management investor letter...
It's been another tricky weekend for Sir Philip Green. In fact, the boisterous billionaire's reputation took a serious battering in the UK business press throughout the whole of last week following the confirmation of the BHS administration...
Readers might be wondering what has happened to the potential bid for London-listed BBA Aviation that I wrote about a couple of months ago...
[Disclaimer - the information on Betaville does not consitute any form of investment recommendation and is not intended to be relied upon by readers in making, or refraining from, any investment decisions].