A number of private equity firms are believed to be showing interest in Gardman following the news that the company’s curent owners are actively exploring a sale...

According to Daily Telegraph, the business, valued at £85 million when Paris Natar sold his controlling interest in 2007 to Barclays Private Equity, is expected to fetch around £50 million. The business has since had two more changes of ownership. The current owners – a consortium led by Goldman Sachs and TPG and backed by Barclays and Lloyds – are believed to be keen to cash in on the current ‘buyers market’

CEO Stewart Hainsworth (left) told GTN Xtra there was “nothing in motion” yet. “As far as the management are concerned, our investors are looking at at potential options. This a financial set of options and the potential deal would probably be to another set of financial investors with a different time horizon. So it would be business as usual for Gardman and the management team would be staying in place if any transaction did happen. It seems somebody has jumped the gun because it is early days.”

A corporate finance firm called Catalyst has been hired to explore the options.