3i Group plc (LSE: III) is a multinational private equity and venture capital company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has offices in 13 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas and had total assets under management of £10.5 billion as at 31 March 2012.^[3][4] It is organised into three investment divisions: Private Equity, Infrastructure and Debt Management.^[4]

3i Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History[link]

The company was formed in 1945, as the Industrial and Commercial Finance Corporation (ICFC), by the Bank of England and the major British banks to provide long term investment funding for small and medium-sized enterprises. Its foundation was inspired by the government, and resulted from the recognition in the 1930s, given new impetus in the postwar era, that smaller businesses faced a gap in available corporate finance due to banks being unwilling to provide long-term capital and the companies being too small to raise capital from the public markets.

During the 1950s and 1960s, and particularly after 1959 when the shareholder banks allowed it to raise external funds, ICFC expanded to become the largest provider of growth capital for unquoted companies in the United Kingdom. In 1973 ICFC acquired Finance Corporation for Industry, a sister company also formed in 1945 which focused on finance for large companies, and was renamed Finance for Industry (FFI). In the 1980s FFI became a leading provider of finance for management buyouts, and expanded internationally. In 1983 the company was renamed Investors in Industry, commonly known as 3i.

3i Group was created in 1987 when the banks sold off their stakes to form a public limited company. In 1994 the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of £1.5 billion.^[5]

Operations[link]

The company invests in mid-market buyouts, growth capital (minority) and infrastructure. Sectors invested in are Business & Financial services, Consumer, Industrials & Energy and Healthcare.

Current investments include:

• ACR Capital Reinsurance: 3i bought into this re-insurance business in 2006.^[6]
• Action: in June 2011 3i bought a majority stake in this discount retailer.^[7]
• Agent Provocateur: in November 2007 3i acquired the lingerie business.^[8]
• Element Materials Technology: 3i announced the acquisition of the materials and testing group of Stork B.V. in November 2010.^[9]
• Foster and Partners: 3i acquired a minority (growth capital) stake in the architecture practice in May 2007.^[10]
• Mémora Servicios Funerarias: 3i bought into this Spanish funeral service provider in 2008.^[11]
• Scandlines: 3i and Allianz Capital Partners have shared ownership of Scandlines equally since November 2010.^[12]

References[link]

External links[link]

Companies portal

• Official site
• Yahoo profile

v t e FTSE 100 ← FTSE 250 companies of the United Kingdom As of 19 March 2012 3i 3i Infrastructure AZ Electronic Materials Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Aegis Afren African Barrick Gold Alliance Trust Amlin Anglo Pacific Group Aquarius Platinum Ashtead Group Atkins Aveva Avocet Mining BBA Aviation BH Global BH Macro BTG Babcock Balfour Beatty Bankers Investment Trust A.G. Barr Barratt Developments Beazley Group Bellway Berendsen Berkeley Group Holdings Betfair Group Big Yellow Group BlackRock World Mining Trust Bluecrest Allblue Fund Bodycote Booker Group Bovis Homes Group Brewin Dolphin Holdings British Assets Trust British Empire Securities and General Trust Britvic Bumi Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment N Brown Group CSR Cable & Wireless Communications Cable & Wireless Worldwide Cairn Energy Caledonia Investments Cape Capital & Counties Properties Carillion Carpetright Catlin Group Centamin Chemring Group City of London Investment Trust Close Brothers Group Cobham Colt Group Computacenter Cookson Group Cranswick Daejan Holdings Daily Mail and General Trust Dairy Crest Group De La Soul Debenhams Derwent London Devro Dexion Absolute Dignity Diploma Dixons Retail Domino Printing Sciences Domino's Pizza UK & IRL Drax Group Dunelm Group easyJet Edinburgh Dragon Trust The Edinburgh Investment Trust Electra Private Equity Electrocomponents Elementis EnQuest Essar Energy Euromoney Institutional Investor Exillon Energy F&C Asset Management F&C Commercial Property Trust Fenner Ferrexpo Fidelity China Special Situations Fidelity European Values Fidessa Group Filtrona FirstGroup Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust Galliford Try Gem Diamonds Genesis Emerging Markets Fund Genus Go-Ahead Group Grainger Great Portland Estates Greene King Greggs HICL Infrastructure Company Halfords Group Halma Hansteen Holdings Hays Henderson Group Herald Investment Trust Heritage Oil Hikma Pharmaceuticals Hiscox Hochschild Mining Home Retail Group Homeserve Howden Joinery Hunting IG Group Holdings ITE Group Imagination Technologies Group Inchcape Informa Inmarsat Intermediate Capital Group International Personal Finance International Public Partnerships Interserve Invensys Investec JD Sports Fashion JPMorgan American Investment Trust JPMorgan Asian Investment Trust JPMorgan Emerging Markets Investment Trust JPMorgan Indian Investment Trust JPMorgan Russian Securities Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group John Laing Infrastructure Fund Jupiter Fund Management KCOM Group Kenmare Resources Kentz Kesa Electricals Kier Group Ladbrokes Laird Lamprell Lancashire Holdings Law Debenture Logica London & Stamford Property London Stock Exchange Group Lonmin MITIE Group Marston's Melrose Mercantile Investment Trust Merchants Trust Michael Page International Micro Focus International Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Misys Mitchells & Butlers Mondi Moneysupermarket.com Group Monks Investment Trust Morgan Crucible Murray Income Trust Murray International Trust National Express Group NB Global New World Resources Northgate Ocado Group Ophir Energy Oxford Instruments PZ Cussons Paragon Group of Companies PayPoint Pennon Group Perform Group Perpetual Income & Growth Investment Trust Persimmon Personal Assets Trust Petra Diamonds Petropavlovsk Phoenix Group Holdings Polar Capital Technology Trust Premier Farnell Premier Oil Provident Financial QinetiQ RIT Capital Partners RPC Group RPS Group Rank Group Rathbone Brothers Redrow Regus Group Renishaw Rentokil Initial Restaurant Group Rightmove Rotork RusPetro SDL International SIG plc SVG Capital Salamander Energy Savills Scottish Investment Trust Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Segro Senior Shaftesbury Shanks Group Smith (DS) SOCO International Spectris Spirax-Sarco Engineering Spirent Sports Direct St. James's Place Stagecoach Group Stobart Group SuperGroup Synergy Health TalkTalk Group Talvivaara Mining Company Taylor Wimpey Telecity Group Telecom Plus Temple Bar Investment Trust Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust TR Property Investment Trust TUI Travel Travis Perkins Tullett Prebon UK Commercial Property Trust Ultra Electronics Holdings United Business Media Victrex W H Smith Wetherspoon (J D) William Hill Witan Investment Trust Wood Group Yule Catto

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