Mobeus set for ATG Media exit

Mobeus is believed to be in talks with fellow private equity house ECI Partners to iron out a deal. Both Mobeus and ECI declined to comment on the sale.

Established in 1971 as auctions publication Antiques Trade Gazette, ATG Media now also operates auction portals as well as live and timed online auctions. The company's websites allow users to search auction catalogues and place bids over the internet in real time, with live audio and video feeds aiming to replicate an auction room's atmosphere. ATG's websites were home to transactions worth £235m over the past 12 months, according to the company.

Mobeus supported the management buyout of ATG in 2008, investing £4.5m to back the spinout of the the company from the Daily Mail group. The GP made an add-on investment of £4.5m in ATG in May last year to finance the acquisition of US-based online auctions site BidSpotter.

Mobeus sold MachineWorks Software, one of the divisions of its portfolio company VSI, to Westec Holding Company in mid-April. Meanwhile ECI Partners most recently backed the £57m management buyout of online consumer home insurance provider Avantia Group in March.

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• Topics
• Buyouts
• Exits
• Consumer
• UK / Ireland
• ECI Partners
• Mobeus Equity Partners
• Secondary buyout