Buyouts
SPAIN – First Reserve acquires Gamesa Solar
US-based private equity house First Reserve Corporation acquired energy producer Gamesa Solar from Gamesa, in a deal valued at approximately EUR 261m.
NETHERLANDS - Deutsche Beteiligung buys ICTS Europe
Deutsche Beteiligung and DBAG Fund V have together acquired ICTS Europe, a company specialising in security services for airports and airlines, for EUR 100m. A co-investment by ICTS Europe's management is planned.
NORWAY – Borea invests in Ocea
Borea Opportunity II AS has invested in Ocea Holding AS, a supplier of technology to the fish farming and aquaculture industry.
UK - Close Growth Capital acquires Blueberry from 3i for £12m
Close Growth Capital has backed the ТЃ12m secondary management buyout of ambient food supplier Blueberry Group Ltd from 3i. 3i acquired Blueberry in 2005.
ITALY - Opera leads Vetrerie Riunite buyout
Opera has led the acquisition of glass manufacturer Vetrerie Riunite alongside private equity operator DGPA. The investors have acquired 52% and 24% stakes respectively. The remaining 24% is held by the vendors who reinvested in the company.
SPAIN – Private equity interest in Kelme sportsware
Private equity house Tirant, supported by the Valencia Finance Institute (IVF) and the regional government are among the bidders for sport shoes company Kelme.
UK - Beringea backs MBO of Path Group
Beringea has backed the ТЃ7m management buyout of Path Group Plc, distributors of consumer electronic accessories. Beringea invested from its ProVen VCT and ProVen Growth & Income VCT funds for this deal.
CEE - Penta buys Mecom Group
Penta has acquired Mecom Group, Slovakia's largest meat processing company. Last Wednesday, Penta submitted a request for approval to the Slovak Antitrust office.
FRANCE – LBO France backs Tiama's acquisition of SGCC
LBO France has backed a secondary LMBO deal in which its portfolio company Tiama Group acquired SGCC Group. The deal saw Atria Capital Partners exit its 90% share in SGCC. SGCC’s entire management team led by Luc Boulant joined Tiama’s management team...
UK - Infinity Asset Management clinches three deals
Infinity Asset Management has clinched three investment deals in as many weeks. Infinity, a Manchester-based private equity house which launched in February 2007 with a fund of ТЃ20m, has invested undisclosed sums in three UK businesses. These are: construction...
GERMANY - CGS Management buys Rieter Automatik GmbH
CGS Management has acquired the pelletizing machinery business Rieter Automatik GmbH from Rieter Holding AG with retroactive effect as of January 1, 2008 for an undisclosed amount.
SWITZERLAND - Zurmont Madison Private Equity acquires SMB SA
Zurmont Madison Private Equity L.P. has acquired the metallurgy specialist SMB SA as part of a succession solution for an undisclosed sum. In the course of the change of ownership, Raymond-Jean Lacoste will join the company as of mid-March as the new...
UK - H.I.G. backs £25m facilities management deal
HIG Europe, the European affiliate of HIG Capital has invested in Europa Facility Holdings (Europa), a facilities management company, as part of the first step in a buy-and-build strategy. The overall value of the transaction was ТЃ25m. As part of this...
UK - Montagu bid for Biffa safe after Terra Firma and Suez pull out
Montagu Private Equity's recommended offer for Biffa, the waste disposal group, is to go ahead uncontested after Terra Firma, which was thought to be preparing a counterbid alongside French utility group Suez, backed away from the deal. The Montagu-consortium...
UK - Charterhouse to acquire Giles from Gresham for £185m
Insurance broker Giles is to be acquired by Charterhouse in a ТЃ185m secondary buyout from Gresham Private Equity. Gresham bought Giles in July 2006 in a ТЃ45m deal.
UK - Graphite acquires Kurt Geiger from BPE for £95m
Graphite Capital has acquired shoe retailer Kurt Geiger from Barclays Private Equity (BPE) for ТЃ95m. BPE had owned Kurt Geiger since Summer 2005 when it paid ТЃ46m for the business. Lloyds TSB and Royal Bank of Scotland provided a debt package to support...
UK - Terra Firma and Suez to challenge Montagu takeover of Biffa?
Terra Firma and trade player Suez could mount a last minute takeover bid for waste disposal business Biffa. London-listed Biffa's board recommended a 350p per share offer from Montagu Private Equity and Global Infrastructure Partners earlier this month....
UK - Bridgepoint eats up Prêt for £345m and divests Concentric
Bridgepoint has confirmed that it has acquired sandwich chain PrУЊt A Manger in a deal reported to weigh in at ТЃ345m. The investor has also announced that it has sold Concentric, an engineering company it has owned for ten years. Concentric has been...
UK - HgCapital sells Clarion Events to VSS for £120.5m
HgCapital has sold independent exhibition and events business Clarion Events Ltd to US private equity investor Veronis Suhler Stevenson for an enterprise value of ТЃ120.5m. The sale has generated an IRR of 34% for investors.
UK - Bridgepoint emerges as likeliest buyer for Prêt in £350m deal
According to reports, Bridgepoint is set to buy 200-strong sandwich chain PrУЊt A Manger from its consortium of vendors for ТЃ350m. Rothschilds was hired last year to run a sale process. A price tag of ТЃ400m was originally suggested but it is understood...
BALTIC - BaltCap acquires Interinfo Group for EUR 20-30m
BaltCap has acquired 100% of the Interinfo Group in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, for EUR 20-30m.
FRANCE – Atria backs MBO of Abcd
Atria Capital Partenaires has backed the MBO of Abcd from Affine. Atria will become the majority shareholder in the new holding vehicle Abcdgroup with the management team led, by founders Patrick Canac and Francis Robert, taking a minority stake.
GERMANY – NORD Holding acquires Teupen
NORD Holding has acquired a majority stake in Teupen Maschinenbau GmbH, a provider of mobile height access technology. The investment will be used to fund further growth of the company, which is based in Gronau and was founded in 1977. The company expects...
CEE - Series of investments in Czech Republic
Arca Capital has invested in Kasa, a Czech online store. Warburg Pincus is currently in talks to buy Atlas, the third largest Czech search engine after acquiring a majority stake in its rival Centrum, last December.