Carlyle launches £2bn sale of Very Group after seizing control from Barclay family

Corporate Action
โดย The Telegraph·Read original
Summary · why it matters

Carlyle Group has kicked off a £2 billion sale of Very Group after seizing control of the heavily indebted retailer from the Barclay family for a nominal £1 in November. Bankers at Barclays and JP Morgan have been hired to oversee the formal auction, which began this month. Potential suitors include N Brown, previously linked to a merger, and investment firm Elliot Advisors, which owns Waterstones and Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com. Administrators at PwC said advisers have already approached several bidders but warned the process will take months. Very Group, formed 20 years ago through the merger of Littlewoods and Shop Direct, posted losses of £500 million in 2025 after writing off a major loan to its former owners.

Impact on stocks 5

Financials▲ · 3 stocks
Carlyle Group Inc
CG
▲ PositiveCapitalrelevance

Carlyle is launching a £2bn sale of Very Group, a capital event (divestiture) that could generate returns.

Barclays PLC
BARC
▲ PositiveCapitalrelevance

Barclays has been hired as a banker for the sale, generating advisory fees.

Digital Finance & Tokenization▲ · 1 stocks
JPMorgan Chase & Co
JPM
▲ PositiveCapitalrelevance

JPMorgan has been hired as a banker for the sale, generating advisory fees.

Consumer Discretionary▲ · 1 stocks

Off-coverage companies 5

The Very GroupPrivate± Mixed
Capitalrelevance

Very Group is the subject of the sale process, but the outcome is uncertain.

N Brown GroupPrivate▲ Positive
Competitionrelevance

N Brown is named as a potential suitor, which could lead to a strategic acquisition.

Elliott Investment Management L.P.Private± Mixed
relevance

PricewaterhouseCoopersPrivate± Mixed
relevance

WaterstonesPrivate± Mixed
relevance

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