Wed, 12 Nov 2025 | BUSINESS SALE
Online retailer The Very Group has been acquired by US private equity firm Carlyle Group in a deal that ends the group's ownership by the Barclay family. While the value of Carlyle’s investment in the group has not been disclosed, the business has been valued at around £2.5 billion by retail sources.
Liverpool-based The Very Group is a multi-brand online retailer, comprising flagship brand Very UK, along with Littlewoods UK and Very Ireland. In accounts for the year to 28 June 2025, announced last month, the group reported revenue of £2.1 billion and EBITDA of £307 million.
Previously known as Littlewoods, the business has been controlled by the Barclay family for over 23 years. The former Littlewoods brand was acquired by the Barclay family, then led by brothers David and Frederick, in 2002.
Originally essentially a catalogue business, Littlewoods was subsequently merged with Shop Direct in 2004, with the Barclay family since then overseeing its shift into online retail.
Carlyle first became linked with the group as a lender in 2021, before boosting its investment in 2024 with around £85 million-worth of a £125 million debt package. Carlyle’s total financing of the business is now believed to stand at approximately £500 million.
The Very Group becomes the latest venture that the Barclay family has relinquished, following its sale of stakes in The Telegraph newspaper, delivery group Yodel and the Ritz Hotel in London. Following the sale, Abu Dhabi-based international media group, IMI, will remain as a key stakeholder in The Very Group.
In a statement, The Very Group said: “This transaction is a positive outcome for The Very Group, providing it with a strengthened capital base and enhanced financial flexibility to support investment in its long term growth plans.”
“The transaction underscores Carlyle and IMI’s confidence in The Very Group, its management team, leading brand position, strategy and long term growth potential, having supported the business since 2021.”
“Carlyle, in collaboration with IMI, will support the company’s management team to continue to deliver against its strategic priorities, including driving innovation and leveraging technology and data to improve its customer offering.”
Very Group CEO Robbie Feather said that the deal was “an important milestone” for the group, adding that the backing of Carlyle and IMI “provides us with a stronger foundation to execute on our strategy, increase investment in technology and the customer experience, and to build on the momentum across the business.”
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