LBO France is in exclusive talks with Montagu Private Equity, formerly known as HSBC Private Equity, to sell Actaris, the French provider of energy metering systems, less than 18 months after buying the business.

The French private equity firm is expected to try to sell the business for €400m (£424.7m) to €600m, in a bid to give it a quick and significant return on its original €340m investment. Many private equity firms tend to hold on to their acquisitions for three to five years.