Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by rwmj 3 days ago
The fifth largest (Morrisons) was also sold to PE with predictable results. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrisons#CD&R_takeover
3 comments

In really grinds my gears that the buying companies take out the debt to take over against the companies themselves.

So many well-known UK companies have been sunk by debt interest on loans taken out to acquire said companies.

By all means use the companies to secure loans, but the liability should be on the books of the parent companies not the companies being acquired!

There have even been cases where the companies have been effectively asset-stripped by "sell and lease back" of property, leaving the companies a shell of their former selves with no meaningful assets, so as soon as there are any unexpected headwinds they collapse.

It should simply be illegal.
It's the bank's problem. The bank is supposed to determine whether it's likely to be repaid in full, and if not, don't issue the loan which blocks the sale.
A bank shouldn't be recognizing collateral that the buyer doesn't own.
We need a private equity tracker so we can get alerts on these and track the debt loading and looting.
Was Morrisons ever any good?
Pretty damn good; not least because each store (aside from the smallest) has their own on-site butcher and fishmonger. Not to mention a decent deli.
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll pop by one over the coming weeks.
Their fish & meat counters are much better than the other supermarkets. Better selection and much fresher.
I never knew that! I'll try one out next time I'm passing.