BC Partners' proposed $8.7 billion leveraged buyout of PetSmart over the weekened was the third-largest private equity-backed deal announced in 2014. The deal was the largest leveraged buyout of 2014, eclipsing Blackstone's $5.4 billion purchase of Gates Global.
3G Capital Partners and Burger King's $11.5 billion purchase of Tim Hortons tops the list of private equity-backed deals in 2014, followed by the $9.4 billion merger of Safeway with Albertsons (led by Cerberus Capital Management).
Through Dec. 15, data provider Preqin said $3.24 trillion of private equity-backed deals had been announced globally in 2014, barely unchanged from the $3.24 trillion announced in all of 2013.