Cash-rich Electra has the edge on rivals in acquisitions hunt

Electra Private Equity said it expects to gain the upper hand this year on rivals struggling to raise new funds to invest.

The company, which counts the holiday group Park Resorts among its investments, said it expects to pick up assets from financial institutions such as banks as they continue to slim down their balance sheets.

Electra has money to spend after cashing in on the £1.2bn stock market flotation of insurer esure in March, which saw it triple the value of its initial £30m investment.

It is also set to make a further $398m (£257m) from the sale of a stake in animal-identification company Allflex to BC Partners.

Electra's chief investment partner Alex Fortescue said yesterday: "It has been tricky to do private-equity deals over the past few months because there have been lots of people chasing every deal, which has made it better to sell than to buy."