Private equity group 3i may soon put up a Nordic operator of care homes for sale. Bankers close to the deal have also suggested the operator, Ambea, could be listed on a stock market.

It's believed the firm, which generates stable cash flows, could sell for as much as a billion euros. According to Reuters, the group generated earnings before EBITDA of around 70 million euros last year.

Ambea provides specialist healthcare in nursing homes and care homes for disabled people and operates under the Mehiläinen and Carema brands.

Potential private equity buyers could, however, face a multi-jurisdiction challenge since the company has operations in Sweden, Finland and Norway.

Other privately-owned European firms are thought to have explored both a public listing and a sale – including UK pet-store chain Pets at Home.

News of the possible care home sale follows a similar move last year by 3i, which majority-owns Ambea alongside related funds. 2009's sale was halted as the financial crisis froze activity in the European leveraged buy-out market.

Those close to the deal claim possible bidders currently range from Advent International and BC Partners to Investor AB.

No related posts.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 6:52 pm and is filed under On the Market. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.