Simultaneous buy and sell speeds Center Parcs IPO

Deal: Center Parcs flotation
Bookrunner: Collins Stewart
Size: £245 million ($197.5 million)
Date: December 11 2003

Collins Stewart floated the UK leisure group Center Parcs on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (Aim) through a simultaneous auction and public share offering last month. It was the second such deal from Collins Stewart in 2003.

Private equity group MidOcean Partners was selling the holiday parks operator. Collins Stewart used a special vehicle company, Arbor, to make a bid through an auction.