It seems Nick Lovering, partner at investment firm Echelon, has a literary as well as financial bent.

Lovering, the son of serial dealmaker John, who was involved in many high-profile private equity retail deals, has penned a children’s book called The Non-Adventures of Mr Sproutface and Mr Wibbleton. The ebook is downloadable from Amazon and proceeds go to a charity for AIDS orphans.

Unsurprisingly, given his genes, the characters in Nick’s book are retailers - they run a cheese shop in Basingstoke.

Perhaps a follow-up may feature an audacious private equity bid with plans for roll-out, EBITDA progression and an IPO. Or would that be cheesy?