Week Ending: Animal Magic for Pets’ staff; Karen Campbell finds the rumba taxing
PRIVATE equity ownership has its detractors, but not, we suspect, among the staff at Handforth-based Pets at Home who invested in the business in Janaury 2010 at the time of its acquisition by US buyout firm KKR.
Around 500 staff at the retailer, which this week announced plans for a Stock Market float, own shares in the business, and could be in line for a windfall of around £240,000 each if the expected £1.5bn valuation is met.
Animal magic indeed.
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IT’S that time of year when big-hearted business folk embark on all manner of good deeds for worthy causes.
After last year’s all-boys trip to the Alps led by NCC’s Rob Cotton, which raised a bundle of cash for The Christie, it’s the turn of the prominent business women to step outside their comfort zones to support charities close to their heart.
Grant Thornton tax partner Karen Campbell, swapped spread sheets for spray tans and sequins this week as she embarked on a Strictly Come Dancing challenge in Liverpool.
While she didn’t win the competition, she has raised more than £3,700 for the Prince’s Trust, and promises to email a video of her tripping the light fantastic to anyone who does add to her grand total.
Despite a last minute panic when her professional partner suffered an injury with just days to go, all went well, and Karen was even praised by judge, the Liverpool actress Jennifer Ellison, who described her as “very elegant”.
To support Karen, see http://www.justgiving.com/Karen-L-Campbell
Another intrepid fundraiser is Liverpool PR boss Jayne Moore, who is travelling further afield – to Peru – to scale Machu Picchu – for Sport Relief in March.
Jayne’s band of brothers and sisters include reality TV ‘star’ Kirk Norcross, who Week Ending believes was once a member of The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE).
She is raising money for the Liverpool-based charity the ADHD Foundation, details at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?charityId=1008248
