UK - Exponent and BPE expected to acquire Midland newspaper titles

Exponent Private Equity and Barclays Private Equity are believed to have teamed up to back the management buyout of a collection of Midland newspaper titles. The deal has an estimated price tag of £190m. Titles including the Birmingham Post and Coventry Telegraph are being sold by Trinity Mirror through an auction process. It is thought that Exponent and BPE have reached exclusivity after Legal and General Ventures pulled out. ABN AMRO Capital had also participated in the process at an earlier stage.