M&A Deal Summary

Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Acquires Aston Lark

On May 17, 2019, private equity firm Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking acquired insurance company Aston Lark from Bowmark Capital

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking’s 5th transaction in the Insurance sector.
  • This is Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking’s 8th transaction in the United Kingdom.
Investment Fate
  • Aston Lark was sold to a strategic buyer in 2021.

M&A Deal Summary

Date 2019-05-17
Target Aston Lark
Sector Insurance
Buyer(s) Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking
Sellers(s) Bowmark Capital
Deal Type Secondary Buyout

Target

Aston Lark

London, United Kingdom
website
Aston Lark is an independent insurance broker specializes in commercial insurance, private client insurance, and employee benefits advice, and operates from 27 regional offices, serving over 100,000 customers and placing in excess of £350 million of the annual premium. Aston Lark was formed in 2017 and is based in London.

Search 191,543 Deals Now

SEARCH BY

  • Buyer Type (PE or Strategic)
  • Deal Size ($10M to $10B+)
  • Sector (60 Sectors)
  • Deal Type
  • Geography
  • & More

Try For Free 7-Day Free Trial

Buyer(S) 1

Buyer

Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking

New York, New York, United States

website


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1986
PE ASSETS 155.0B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division is the investment arm of Goldman Sachs. The primary corporate investment group within the Merchant Banking Division is Goldman Sachs' direct investment arm. GS's direct investment arm consists of GS Capital Partners, GS Mezzanine Partners, and GS Growth Partners. GS Capital Partners is the direct corporate equity investment group which seeks LBO, recapitalization, and growth investments to help fund acquisitions, expansions, recapitalizations, restructurings, buyouts, and take privates. GS Capital Partners looks to invest between $50 and $800 million in opportunities in North/South America, Europe, Asia. GS Mezzanine Partners is the junior capital arm of Goldman Sachs. GS Mezzanine looks to invest between $200 million and and $800 million in transactions valued up to $10 billion. Investment proceeds are used to fund leveraged buyouts, expansion financings, recapitalizations, acquisitions, and restructurings. GS Growth looks to invest in growth equity transactions. The unit seeks to commit $20 to $200 million per investment. Other units within GS's merchant banking division include Real Estate, Infrastructure, and Urban Investments. Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division is based in New York City.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 158 of 178
Sector (Insurance) 5 of 6
Type (Secondary Buyout) 54 of 63
Country (United Kingdom) 8 of 10
Year (2019) 2 of 4
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2019-05-16 United Captial Fiancial Partners

Newport Beach, California, United States

United Captial Fiancial Partners, Inc. is a nationwide financial planning firm with over $8 billion in assets. It employs a transformational acquisition strategy that targets small to mid-sized independent RIAs and broker dealers.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2019-05-20 Groupe B&B Hotels Sas

Cedex, France

Groupe B&B Hotels Sas is a budget hotels chain in Europe operating a network of more than 486 budget hotels, across 12 countries with a total of 42,832 rooms. B&B is at the "high-end" of the budget hotel segment, offering high quality at a competitive price, to meet the needs of both business and leisure travelers.

Buy -

Seller(S) 1

SELLER

Bowmark Capital

London, United Kingdom

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor

website


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1997
PE ASSETS 1.5B GBP
Size Large
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Bowmark Capital is a private equity firm that targets investments in smaller, growth-oriented companies based in the UK. Bowmark considers investments across a range of industries with a strong interest in Business & Financial Services, Consumer & Leisure, Education & Training, Healthcare, Media, and Technology. Bowmark funds individual equity investments of up to £100 million and focuses on investing in UK companies which are valued between £50 million and £250 million. Bowmark was formed in 1997 and is based in London, United Kingdom.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 22 of 26
Sector (Insurance) 2 of 2
Type (Secondary Buyout) 11 of 14
Country (United Kingdom) 20 of 24
Year (2019) 2 of 2
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2019-04-25 Care Fertility

Nottingham, United Kingdom

Care Fertility is a fertility services provider. The company operates nine CARE branded clinics and 13 satellite facilities providing extensive coverage across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. CARE Fertility was founded in 1997 and is based in Nottingham. United Kingdom.

Sell -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2020-03-09 Focus Group

England, United Kingdom

Focus Group (UK) is a provider of communications and IT solutions. Focus provides a range of integrated technology solutions including hosted voice, cloud applications, mobile, connectivity, and IT services.

Buy -