Buy-out firms vie for Reuters clinical assets
Private equity firms BC Partners, Carlyle, and Bain Capital have been shortlisted as bidders for part of Thomson Reuters’ media empire.
Thomson’s intellectual property and sciences units, valued in the region of £2bn, were put up for sale after it was decided they were no longer core to the company.
Thomson is expected to use proceeds from the sale to pay down debt, accelerate share buybacks, and invest in its news operations.
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The division sells Thomson CompuMark, Thomson Innovation and MarkMonitor and generates about $1bn (£700m) in sales each year, about eight per cent of group revenue.
BC, owner of scientific publisher Springer Nature, was reported by the Sunday Times to be leading the shortlist.
It was previously reported that private equity firms KKR, Cinven, and Advent International had also made bids for the assets.
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Thomson Reuters said in November it was working with bankers at JPMorgan Chase and Guggenheim Securities to run a sale process for the unit.