Private equity giants are circling Grant Thornton with a view to lodging bids for Britain’s sixth-largest accountant, which could kick off a formal sale process as soon as next month.
CVC, the European owner of the La Liga football league, is running the rule over the UK arm of Grant Thornton, which employs about 5,500 people, in the hopes of lodging a bid.
KKR has also taken a look at bidding for the accountancy in recent weeks, although people close to the situation said that it was unclear whether the US buyout behemoth was currently interested.
Private equity sources said that Grant Thornton, which is advised by Rothschild bank, has been approaching firms directly about the prospect of buying a stake in the company. A