Private equity has an image problem. In the UK, this is because private equity buyers are circling some of the best-known and most popular consumer brands. If an institution such as the retailer J Sainsbury is a target for private equity buyers, suddenly many more Brits will pay attention. In the US, interest has been whetted by the chance that Blackstone, one of the biggest private equity groups, will take itself public.
For the critics, private equity barons are asset strippers who inflict mass layoffs and remove companies from scrutiny by taking them private. For the investment industry, private equity is a crock of gold. It is gaining in popularity with pension funds and efforts are under way to offer it to retail investors.
