Charterhouse Capital Partners have acquired the European information provider Bureau van Dijk from BC Partners.
Financials details were not disclosed, but sources in the investment community indicated that BC partners had realized twice the amount it had invested in Bureau van Dijk. BC Partners had acquired the company from Candover in 2004 paying approximately Euro 300 million. According to Reuters the transaction value was estimated to be Euro 700 million and Charterhouse raised Euro 510 million to finance the acquisition.
This is the third ownership change in 7 years and always from one private equity firm to another. One can assume that none of the major information companies seem to have an appetite to acquire the company. Private equity investors appear to have a greater appetite for information companies than the potential buyers from the information industry. Is the deterrent price or does Charterhouse has something up its sleeves which others cannot see?
BIIA’s partner Password Germany wonders what the new owners expect in terms of additional value added, which may be difficult to achieve short to mid-term. Bureau van Dijk is said to be growing, it employs over 500 and maintains offices in 32 countries.
Source: Password Germany and AltAssets News
