Good evening,

KKR’s got the bankers back in at pubs group Australian Venue Co, although this time it has nothing to do with an initial public offering.

Street Talk can reveal Jefferies has been mandated to talk to potential buyers, including other global PE firms and strategic players, to see whether there’s someone willing to pay up for a landmark hotels play.

It’s a good mandate for Jefferies, with AVC having previously been the domain of Citi, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. However, it remains to be seen whether the review finds a new owner.

Elsewhere, we revealed on Sunday that ASX-listed Regal Partners Ltd is preparing its first big move as a listed company.

Regal, which merged with VGI Partners to get its ASX listing in June, will launch a $100 million rights issue on Monday, with funds raised pegged for a few new strategies.

While Regal’s expected to get its money, it will be interesting to see where it comes from. There’s a few big VGI Partners shareholders, notably firm founder Rob Luciano, who will have to decide whether to follow their money into the raising. For Luciano, that’s about a $20 million decision.

We also have news on Anchorage Capital Partners’ sale of its Rail First Asset Management - a deal was signed at the weekend - and the latest in the Vector Metering auction.

Happy reading,
Anthony Macdonald, Sarah Thompson and Kanika Sood
Street Talk editors