3i
British multinational private equity and venture capital company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3i Group plc is a British multinational private equity and infrastructure investment company based in London, England. 3i is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
- Finance for Industry Public Limited Company (1973–1983)
- Investors in Industry Group plc (1983–1988)[1]
| |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Public |
| ISIN | GB00B1YW4409 |
| Industry | Corporate finance |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Founder | Bank of England and a syndicate of British banks |
| Headquarters | London, England, UK |
Key people |
|
| Services |
|
 £5,024 million (2025)[3] | |
| £5,038 million (2025)[3] | |
| AUM | £31.9 billion (2025)[3] |
Number of employees | c.250 (2024)[4] |
| Website | www |
History
The company was formed in 1945, as the Industrial and Commercial Finance Corporation (ICFC), by the Bank of England and the major British banks to provide long-term investment funding for small and medium-sized enterprises. Its foundation was inspired by the Macmillan Committee, and resulted from the recognition in the 1930s, given new impetus in the postwar era, that smaller businesses faced a gap in available corporate finance due to banks being unwilling to provide long-term capital and the companies being too small to raise capital from the public markets.[5]
During the 1950s and 1960s, and particularly after 1959 when the shareholder banks allowed it to raise external funds, ICFC expanded significantly. In 1973 ICFC acquired Finance Corporation for Industry, a sister company also formed in 1945 which focused on finance for large companies, and was renamed Finance for Industry (FFI). In the 1980s, FFI became a leading provider of finance for management buyouts, and expanded internationally. In 1983 the company was renamed Investors in Industry, commonly known as 3i.[6]
3i Group was created in 1987 when the banks sold off their stakes to form a public limited company. In 1994 the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of £1.5 billion.[7]
Operations
3i invests in mid-market buyouts, growth capital (minority) and infrastructure. Sectors invested in are business and financial services, consumer, industrials and energy, and healthcare.
Current investments
- Action: in June 2011 3i bought a majority stake in this Dutch discount retailer.[8]
- Audley Travel: In December 2015 3i invested in Audley Travel, the lead operator in the tailor-made travel market.[9]
- BoConcept: Furniture company purchased in 2016[10]
- ESP Utilities Group: In June 2017, 3i invested in ESP Utilities Group, one of UK’s largest and longest established Independent Gas Transporters (IGT) and Independent Distribution Network Operators (IDNO).[11]
- Formel D: In 2017, 3i invested €155 million in Formel D, a German car parts company, while CITIC invested €72 million.[12]
- George Best Belfast City Airport[13]
- Global Cloud Xchange[13]
- Infinis[13]
- Q Holding Co: 3i are due to purchase the company's three main operating businesses, Qure Medical, QSR and Quadra Tooling and Automation.[14]
- Regional Rail[13]
- Scandlines: 3i purchased a 100% stake in November 2013, reduced to 35% in 2018[15][16]
- Smarte Carte, purchased 2017[17]
- TCR International[13]
Former investments
- ACR Capital Reinsurance, purchased 2006, sold 2020[18]
- Agent Provocateur (80%), purchased 2007, sold 2017[19][20]
- Boxer TV Access (30%) purchased 2005, sold 2008[21]
- Chiltern Railways (26%) purchased 1996, sold 1999[22][23]
- DNA (13%) purchased 2007, sold 2009[24]
- Dockwise, purchased 2006, sold 2009[25]
- ERM (57%) purchased 2001, sold 2005[26]
- Eversholt Rail Group, purchased 2010, sold 2015[27][28]
- Foster + Partners, purchased 2007, sold 2014[29]
- Freightliner (38%), purchased 1996, sold 2008[30][31]
- Giraffe World Kitchen (40%), purchased 2006, sold 2013[32][33]
- Go, purchased 2001, sold 2002 [34]
- Great Western Holdings (25%) purchased 1996, sold 1998[35][36]
- HSS Hire, purchased 2003, sold 2007[37][38]
- Little Sheep Group (11%), purchased 2006, sold 2009[39]
- Mayborn Group, purchased 2006, sold 2016[40]
- MWM, purchased 2007, sold 2010[41]
- NSL, purchased 2005, sold 2010[42]
- Petrofac (16%), purchased 2002, sold 2005[43]
- Salamander Energy (15%), purchased 2005, sold 2006[44]
- SLR Consulting (34%), purchased 2004, sold 2008[45]
- Target Express (70%), purchased 2000, sold 2006[46]
- TelecityGroup (45%) purchased 1998, sold 2010[47]
- Titan Airways, sold 2013[48]
- Tramlink (20%), purchased 1996, sold 2008[49][50]
- Travellers Fare purchased 1989, sold 1992[51]
- VNU Business Media, purchased 2006, sold 2012[52]
- Weener Plastic Packaging: purchased 2015, sold 2024[53]
