Key facts
- Pollen Street is exploring strategic options, including a possible sale.
- The firm has begun preliminary talks with potential buyers.
- Pollen Street manages £8.4 billion ($11.22 billion) in assets under management.
- Potential buyers include mid-sized private equity firms and existing shareholder Wafra.
- Pollen Street's shares rose 16.6% to 950p on Wednesday.
Pollen Street, a London-listed private capital firm, is weighing its options, including a potential sale and a take-private transaction, as it seeks to increase its scale in the asset management sector. The company confirmed it has begun preliminary talks with a limited number of parties.
Pollen Street manages £8.4 billion ($11.22 billion) in assets across private equity and private credit strategies. The firm's shares rose as much as 16.6% to 950p on Wednesday following reports of the potential sale. At Tuesday's close, shares were down around 12% for the year, but the rally brought the year-to-date return to 1.1% as of Wednesday.
Reuters reported that potential buyers include mid-sized private equity firms and existing shareholder Wafra, which acquired a minority stake in Pollen Street in 2020 through its Capital Constellation platform. Wafra declined to comment.
The move comes amid increasing consolidation pressure in the asset management sector, where mid-sized firms are seeking scale to compete for investor capital and manage rising regulatory and operating costs. The company's market value was reported at approximately £490 million, with operating profit rising to £64 million in 2025 from £58 million a year earlier.