Is private equity bad for society? A new investigation has discovered predatory companies are taking over British businesses and vital services to milk them for all they are worth.
The big business ‘bleeding Britain dry’
The private equity graveyard: Familiar brands from the UK high street have collapsed after private equity takeovers. Glossary
Annuities - An amount of money paid to someone each year, often as a pension.
Stocks - In business and finance, stocks refers to small portions of company ownership. When you buy stocks, you become a shareholder, sharing in the company's profits.
IPOs - Initial Public Offerings — when shares of a company are sold to large investors.
Private equity - A type of investment in a company that is not publicly available.
Dividends - A slice of a company's profits that is divided up amongst shareholders.
Shareholders - People who own shares in a company. Owning a share means somebody owns a very small part of the company.
Debenhams - Debenhams is a British retail brand, which was originally a department store chain, but now operates as an online home and fashion retailer.
Consortium - A group of people. It derives from two Latin words meaning share and destiny.
Thames Water - A private company responsible for supplying water to and treating waste water from Greater London and some other areas.
Infrastructure - The basic systems and services that a country needs to keep it going.