It seems that the only way to escape is death through bust-out, which only occurs when private equity can’t squeeze any more money out of the business. Even then, the brand name can shamble on as a zombie.
I know you’re familiar with the business model, but a primer for those who aren’t follows:
Private equity has increasingly latched onto businesses that are effectively inescapable for humans to deal with. Veterinarians were sort of a test market: no decent person wants their pet to suffer, so let’s see how much they’re willing to pay. Next up were funeral homes. Now they’re making a big push into hospitals/medical practices and old-age homes.
I have no doubt that some kind of pre- or neo-natal care play is next on the agenda, followed by charter schools as these greedy ghouls follow the path from cradle to grave.
