Endless accolade

YORKSHIRE-BASED buyout specialist Endless, took top honours at a major private equity awards last night.

The Leeds-based fund, which was founded just two years ago by former Ernst & Young partners Garry Wilson and Darren Forshaw, won Newcomer of the Year at the 15th “Unquote” National Private Equity Awards in London.

The event at The Royal Horticultural Halls in London was hosted by Channel 4 newscaster Jon Snow, who presented Mr Wilson with the brand new award created because of the impact Endless has had on the private equity sector this year.

The firm, which raised £100m in its first fund and has had international interest in its second larger fund, which will be finalised early next year, completed one of Yorkshire's deals of 2007 when it sold Keighley-based Marks & Spencer supplier Peter Black for £48.1m to Chinese trading group Li & Fung for more than three times its original investment a year earlier.

Other big winners on the night were ECI which won Deal of the Year for Laterooms.com and Apax Partners for Large Buyout House of the Year.

Mr Forshaw commented: “We are obviously delighted and hugely surprised by the award.”