Download the Q1 2009 unquote" Private Equity Barometer

Highlights:

European Private Equity

• The number and value of European private equity backed transactions fell significantly in the first quarter of 2009. In total, there were 219 transactions valued at just €4bn

• In value terms, this represents a fall of 86% compared with Q1 2008 and is less than half the value of transactions in the final quarter of last year. It is the lowest quarterly total since Q3 1996

• Deal volumes have also slumped to lows not seen since Q2 1998. The total number of private equity transactions fell 18% quarter-on-quarter from 267 deals to 219. This is just over half of the 417 deals completed in the first quarter last year

Buyouts

• Buyout activity levels continued to decline at a faster rate than the market as whole in Q1. There were just 49 buyouts completed over the three months, a 70% fall compared with the 161 recorded in Q1 2008 and the lowest quarterly total since 1992

• The total value of these buyouts was €2.5bn, down by almost two thirds on Q4 2008 and 90% on Q1 2008, when €25bn of deals were completed. This is the lowest quarterly value since Q3 1995

• There was a complete absence of any deals valued at more than €1bn, with the largest disclosed buyout of the quarter worth just €454m (BCC Private Equity's minority acquisition of Italian thermometry specialists Euromisure Srl)
  

• In the UK there were 14 buyouts totalling €252m, down 25% in value terms compared with the final quarter of 2008. The largest disclosed UK buyout was the acquisition of Snell & Wilcox for €80m

Download the Q1 2009 unquote" Private Equity Barometer

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