Sofina Cognita €6bn deal collapse impacts Sofina's 13.4% stake
A €6bn private equity deal for Cognita, a UK-based private school operator and one of Sofina's key holdings, is on the brink of collapse. Jacobs Capital, the majority shareholder, aimed to sell a significant stake in Cognita in Apr'25. The stake sale to the primary bidders, Blackstone and CVC, is now unlikely to proceed, according to the Financial Times. The deal's failure stems from a valuation mismatch and the UK's new 20% VAT on private school fees, which has introduced market uncertainty. In FY24, Cognita's EBITDA surpassed £260m (€304.4m), supporting a potential valuation of €5.5bn-€6.1bn...