Investor interest in Barchester heats up ahead of bid deadline, report

Leading care home provider Barchester Healthcare is attracting strong investor interest after it was put up for sale earlier this year, according to a report.

Specialist publication Mergermarket said the group, whose sale was reported by the FT earlier this year (see BREAKING NEWS: Owners seeking £2.5bn for Barchester, report), has attracted interest from Asian investors amongst up to a dozen parties.

The report said indicative bids had been received from a Singaporean sovereign wealth fund, Chinese investor and Australian banking group, Macquarie.

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Paris based private equity firm PAI Partners and US real investment trust Ventas were also reported to be amongst the interest parties ahead of the bid deadline of October 25.

Barchester is currently owned by Irish businessmen Dermot Desmond, JP McManus and John Magnier.

HC-One and Care UK have also been reported to be up for sale, with Four Seasons, meanwhile, in the process of being taken over by its leading creditor H/2 Capital Partners and Signature Senior Lifestyle being bought by a Canadian investor in June.

A Barchester spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by CHP.