BUY-OUT "fever" among Britain's largest companies reached a record high last year, according to the latest research available.
The value of larger (that is £10 million plus) UK management buy-out (MBO) deals reached just under £20 billion.
Although the number of deals remained constant at 150, according to figures from KPMG Corporate Finance.
Mike Gabriel, head of KPMG Corporate Finance in the North, said: "The results of 2000 show a record growth in the UK private equity market.
"The largest deal recorded in 2000 was more than two-and-a-half times larger in value than the largest deal of 1999 (£3.5 billion compared with £1.3 billion)."
In the North West area, there was just one large MBO, a £120 million deal involving Lancashire firm CRP Group which makes sub-sea buoyancy insulation and cable protection products, in the final three months of the year.
Throughout 2000 13 larger buy-out deals were done in the region totalling £938 million.
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