Private equity firm BC Partners has revived plans to list German academic publisher Springer Nature at a valuation of up to €9bn, including debt, amid improving sentiment for initial public offerings, according to a report by Reuters.
The report cites four people familiar with the matter as revealing that BC Partners is in the early stages of exploring options for its 47% stake in Springer Nature, including a potential IPO as soon as the second half of the year, although there is no guarantee that a transaction will happen.
Despite owning less than half of the business, BC Partners’ special rights in the Berlin-based company, which was formed through the merger of Macmillan Science and Springer, mean it can influence a sale, according to Reuters’s sources. Germany’s Holtzbrinck Publishing Group owns the remaining 53%.
