Mark Twain once famously said: “There are lies, damned lies and statistics.” As the private equity market in the UK has matured and become more sophisticated, increased emphasis has rightly been placed on analysing statistical trends for private equity on both a regional and a national basis.
These trends actually make interesting reading. In 2002, according to the Centre for Management Buyout Research at Nottingham University (CMBOR), private equity-related activity accounted for 44.3% of M&A activity in the UK. This represents, at face value at least, a significant advance, especially when compared to the figure for a decade earlier of 14.7%. It should, however, be noted that this has been achieved against the background of a slowed-down economy, which has, in turn, produced a flat market for M&A activity.
