Pets At Home is joining in what seems like an IPO (Initial Public Offering) rush on the London stock-market, with other UK-based retailers also considering the possibility of floating. Pets At Home is owned by KKR, a private equity firm. The aim of the flotation is not to raise funds for growth. It is simply about KKR cashing out. So here's the question: should you invest in this IPO? KKR know more about the future prospects of this firm than anyone else. The fact that they are bringing Pets At Home to market is therefore not necessarily a good signal - why would they sell a good prospect? Furthermore, Pets At Home has a business which has nothing unique and can easily be replicated by other firms.
Michael Aldous and I had our book The CEO: The Rise and Fall of Britain's Captains of Industry published a few weeks ago. You can find out more about it and buy it at Cambridge University Press's website . It is also available at Amazon , Waterstones , and Barnes & Noble . The CEO has already been reviewed in The Sunday Times , The Observer and Financial Times .
