Buyouts
UK - Apax in move for gardening chain Dobbies
It is believed that Apax is behind a takeover offer for Scottish gardening chain Dobbies. Apax's interest comes as a surprise: West Coast Capital owns a 10%+ stake in AIM-listed Dobbies and had been expected to try to acquire it alongside Bank of Scotland...
UK - Risk Capital Partners acquires Druckers Vienna Patisserie
Risk Capital Partners has acquired Birmingham-based Druckers Vienna Patisserie. RCP are combining Druckers with its London-based patisserie chain Patisserie Valerie. Druckers will operate alongside Patisserie Valerie, which RCP bought in September 2006....
GERMANY - GMT buys construction information provider
GMT Communications Partners has acquired the construction information division from Springer Science + Business Media for an undisclosed amount. The financial investor currently owns Docu Group, another B2B information provider in the construction sector...
FRANCE - Stirling Square sells GDT to Bridgepoint in $343m deal
Stirling Square Capital Partners has signed an agreement to sell Global Design Technologies (GDT) to Bridgepoint for $343m. GDT is a France/US-headquartered manufacturer of swaged permanent coupling systems for rigid tubing and pipes used in the aerospace,...
FINLAND - Lion Capital acquires Vaasa & Vaasa from CapVest
Lion Capital LLP has acquired Vaasan & Vaasan, a producer and distributor of branded bakery products, from CapVest Ltd. Lion Capital has previously invested in other food companies like Weetabix and Kettle Foods, and aims to leverage its experience in...
BELGIUM - KBC and Indufin acquire HR business alongside management
Private equity firms KBC and Indufin have wholly acquired a conglomerate of employment agencies Actief Interim, Actief Construct and Actief alongside the group's managing director Mark Maesen.
SPAIN/FRANCE - CVC and PAI on row over Altadis split
Rumour has it that CVC and PAI Partners are in disagreement over how the two private equity firms will split control of the tobacco business.
UK - ABN AMRO completes MBO of Dunlop Aircraft Tyres
ABN AMRO Capital has agreed to acquire Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Ltd. ABN AMRO Capital will take a majority stake in the business with 74.6% ownership. The transaction is expected to complete in June subject to customary approvals. Royal Bank of Scotland...
UK - 3i in talks with Keepmoat regarding possible £800m buyout
3i is reported to be in talks with social housing builders and repairers Keepmoat about a possible ТЃ800m buyout. The Doncaster-based business recently appointed Deloitte to consider its options. Bridgepoint is also expected to show interest in the company,...
FRANCE - Argos Soditic backs MBI of Chronolyss
Argos Soditic has backed the management buy-in of Chronolyss, a company providing services to diabetic patients.
UK - HBOS joins 3i and Bridgepoint in race for Erinaceous
Bank of Scotland has joined the race to acquire property services group Erinaceous. The London-listed company has a market capitalisation of approximately ТЃ300m. Erinaceous' management are reported to be looking to delist it with 3i and Bridgepoint already...
IRELAND - Alchemy to delist Calyx from AIM in £70.2m deal
Alchemy Partners is to delist business technology support provider Calyx from AIM in a ТЃ70.2m deal. The deal is being undertaken by Alchemy-owned vehicle Stornaway which to date holds a 59% stake in Calyx. Anglo Irish Bank is providing debt facilities...
UK - Permira portfolio company acquires Hayley Conference Centres from 3i
3i has exited Hayley Conference Centres in a ТЃ385m deal which sees Permira-backed Principal Hotels acquire the nine-strong conference centre chain. 3i acquired Hayley Conference Centres in a ТЃ180m secondary buyout from Legal and General Ventures in...
GERMANY - GEKA Brush changes hands
In a secondary transaction Halder, alongside management, has acquired GEKA Brush GmbH from Equita Management for an undisclosed amount.
UK - Ingenious Media Active Capital invests £5.34m in Two Way TV
Ingenious Media Active Capital Ltd (IMAC) has completed an investment of up to ТЃ5.34m to acquire Two Way Media Ltd (Two Way TV), a London-based interactive television production company. The transaction sees IMAC taking an 84.3% stake in the newco. This...
DENMARK - Carlyle leads consortium to create new city district in Copenhagen
The Carlyle Group and Hoffmann Ejendomme, a Danish property developer, are in the process of aquiring Copenhagen Wholesale Market (Grønttorvet København). The aim is build a new city district in in Copenhagen on the site where the market was previously...
UK - LDC acquires specialist marketing agency from Royal Bank Equity Finance
LDC has acquired specialist entertainment industry marketing agencies Picture Production Company (PPC). Buying in alongside its existing management team, LDC acquired the agency from Royal Bank Equity Finance and private shareholders, David Willing and...
UK - ISIS acquires medicine prescribing software company ScriptSwitch
ISIS Equity Partners has acquired ScriptSwitch, a medicine prescribing software company, in a ТЃ9.9m replacement capital transaction. ISIS invested ТЃ4.6m from its Baronsmead VCTs. This is ISIS's second deal in as many days following its buyout of the...
UK - ISIS backs buyout of Williams Medical Supplies
ISIS Equity Partners has backed the management buyout of medical products distributor Williams Medical Supplies. The buyout of the ТЃ47m-turnover company from its retiring founder was supported by debt provided by National Australia Bank.
GERMANY - Transnorm changes hands
EQUITA has acquired the 80% stake of NORD Holding in Harsum-based Transnorm group for an undisclosed amount. The shareholding of the company’s management remains unchanged.
ITALY - Private Equity Partners acquires stake in incentive travel business
Private Equity Partners is reported to have acquired a minority stake in Alessandro Rosso, a company active in the field of incentive travel and meeting organisation.
GERMANY - AUCTUS acquires Abieta Chemie
AUCTUS Management has wholly acquired Abieta Chemie GmbH from Clariant Produkte Deutschland GmbH and Hercules GmbH. The transaction value has not been disclosed.
UK - Warner Music Group to enter fray for EMI
Terra Firma's recommended ТЃ3.2bn bid for music publisher EMI is likely to feel the heat of a rival bid in coming days. Warner Music Group's desire to combine with EMI was strengthened upon yesterday's news that the European Commission had given its approval...
ITALY - SEAT Pagine Gialle on the lookout for buyers
Following months of speculation about the future of SEAT Pagine Gialle, press reports suggest that the directories business is up for sale. Rumour has it that Lehman Brothers has been hired by the private equity consortium (comprising of Permira, CVC...