Private equity firm Blackstone is in talks to acquire some of Dulwich College International’s Asian assets for about $600 million, according to media reports on Tuesday.
A Bloomberg report, citing sources, indicated that the acquisition will include schools in Singapore and South Korea from the owner Education in Motion. No plans have been made to include Dulwich College’s schools in China, the report added.
Blackstone officials declined to comment when contacted by DealStreetAsia. A spokesperson for Education in Motion declined to comment as well.
Negotiations are advanced and terms and valuation could change. The founders and management of Education in Motion will be actively involved.
Founded in 1619, Dulwich College is one of the oldest independent schools in the UK. According to the school’s website, Fraser and Karen, the school founders, formed a 100-year global partnership to open international colleges worldwide. Since their first school in Shanghai in 2003, Dulwich International Schools has expanded in China and other Asian countries.
Typically, British schools franchise their brand, as well as their expertise, to an overseas education provider like Education in Motion for a fee.
Upon completion of the acquisition, Blackstone intends to establish a Dulwich school in the Middle East to address the growing number of professionals moving to the region. In addition, the report citing sources indicated that the company may explore openings in India, Thailand, and other Southeast Asian countries.
The PE firm forayed into the education sector in 2014, when, alongside Fajr Capital and Mumtalakat, it acquired a significant minority stake in GEMS Education.
With more than 50 schools in 19 markets across the Middle East, North America, Europe, Asia and Africa, GEMS Education is among the largest providers of private K-12 education.
A statement issued at the time stated that Fajr Capital, Mumtalakat and Blackstone would work closely with GEMS Education’s existing shareholders to accelerate expansion plans in the company’s key growth markets, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Malaysia, and Bahrain.
According to its website, Dulwich College in Singapore has almost 3,000 students and the school in Seoul has 650 students aged two to 18.
On its website, Education in Motion lists Sherfield School and the Green School among its schools and brands.
