Fancy that - Top Right Group announces acquisition of Money 20/20

Good to see Top Right Group - the digital publishing and events company backed by Apax and the Guardian Media Group - announce the acquisition of conference organiser Money 20/20 this morning. Here is a link to the press release: http://www.topright-group.com/news/i2i-events-group-continues-its-international-expansion-acquisition-and-multi-year-long-term-par 

Loyal Betavillers will recall I published a piece - http://betaville123.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/top-right-group-said-to-be-close-to.html - last week hinting Top Right Group was close to a major acquisition.

And once I discovered the identity of the company Top Right Group was planning to purchase, I pitched the story to The Sunday Times, which decided to publish the article.

Here is a link to the piece published on Sunday by The Sunday Times: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/Tech_and_Media/article1475671.ece

Anyway, it looks like a good deal for Top Right Group as it takes its events division, i2i, into the US and a new fast growing sector.

It also demonstrates that Apax and Guardian Media Group - which bought Top Right Group (formerly known as Emap) at the top of the market in 2007 for £1 billion - are still backing the company to pursue deals and investment despite the troubles following the financial crisis.

What I am wondering, though, is now that the Money 20/20 deal has been announced, will Charterhouse rekindle its interest in buying Top Right Group?

Readers might think the question is a bit out of leftfield but the reason I mention Charterhouse is that while I was trying to find out about Top Right Group's acquisition, I also stumbled across a tale that Charterhouse had been sniffing around the digital publishing and events business.

The private equity firm was said to be working with Peter Rigby, the former chief boss of Informa, on the deal.

Charterhouse declined to comment but people familiar with the situation denied the buy-out firm is in talks with Top Right Group.

So, I can only imagine Charterhouse had been taking a look earlier this year but eventually decided against the deal - for now...