Buyouts
ITALY – Cognetas amd Investitori Associati to acquire Gruppo Argentas
Cognetas amd Investitori Associati has acquired Gruppo Argentas. The deal is set to complete in 2008.
UK - KKR completes £593m take-private of Northgate
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) has agreed to purchase listed IT solutions provider Northgate Information Solutions in a deal which values the company at approximately £593m.
FRANCE - Carlyle Group and Cinven take 70% stake in Numericable and Completel
The Carlyle Group and Cinven have acquired cable operators Numericable and Completel. The private equity houses have each taken a 35% stake. Cinven portfolio company Altice, a French cable operator, has acquired a 30% stake.
SWITZERLAND - Invision Private Equity and Vinci Capital acquire RSD
Invision Private Equity AG and Vinci Capital SA have acquired software company RSD SA. Founder and CEO, Louis-Pierre Roger, has retained a stake.
FRANCE - Demeter Partners in secondary LBO of FCT Group.
Demeter Partners has acquired Controlab and Testwell, known collectively as FCT Group, from Paluel Marmont Bank and FCPR Montparnasse Investissement III, a fund managed by UIGestion.
FRANCE – SG Capital supports buyout of Questel
SG Capital Europe has led the management buyout of intellectual property advisory business Questal for an undisclosed sum. Questal's services cover patents, trademarks and industrial design, databases, search and monitoring services, workflow solutions...
ITALY – JC Flowers leads EUR 140m buyout of Euromobiliare SIM
JC Flowers has lead the management buyout of Euromobiliare SIM. Mid Industry Capital also participated in the deal which is reported to weigh in at EUR 140m. JC Flowers will control 50.1% of the company, with management owning a 40% stake.
TURKEY – KSCC buys into Fon Financial Leasing
Kuwait-based Global Investment House KSCC has acquired a 60% stake in listed leasing and factoring company Fon Financial Leasing (FFK) for $120m form Turkey's Yýldýz Holding, which retains a 27.38% stake.
UK - HgCapital and Montagu gain access to Biffa's books
HgCapital and Montagu have been granted access to Biffa to conduct due diligence after raising their offer by 20p per share. The revised 350p per share offer values the share capital of waste disposal company Biffa at £1.23bn.
CEE - KBC acquires Hungarian toy wholesaler and retailer
KBC Private Equity has acquired Gulliver and Star-Toys from the Kovács and Kovalcsik families. Gulliver Group is a Hungary-based toy wholesaler and, under its Bambini-brand, toy retailer. The company distributes international toy brands to the Hungarian...
GERMANY - HgCapital acquires Casa Reha from Advent International
HgCapital has acquired the Casa Reha Group from Advent International and its management for an undisclosed sum. Both Advent International and the management retain a stake in the company going forward. Casa Reha runs retirement homes and is based in...
GERMANY - AVIDA Group acquires rest of Lenscare
AVIDA Group has increased its shareholding in Kiel-based Lenscare AG, a supplier of contact lenses and care products, to 100%. The financial details of the deal have not been disclosed. AVIDA Group already held a major share of Lenscare since March 2007...
UK - First Reserve secures agreement on £906m Abbot take-private
First Reserve Corporation has reached an agreement with the board of Abbot Group Plc to acquire the oil services group from the London Stock Exchange in a £906m deal. Specialist US-based energy investor First Reserve has offered 390p per share for Aberdeen-based...
GERMANY - CFC has acquired delmod international
CFC Industriebeteiligungen GmbH & Co. KGaA has acquired 84.8 % of delmod international Bekleidungsindustrie GmbH & Co. Hanse-Kleidung KG for an undisclosed amount. Delmod is a textile manufacturer and local fashion company in Germany, and distributes...
UK - Baird Capital Partners Europe invests £12m in ESS Steels
Baird Capital Partners Europe has invested £12m in ESS Steels Holdings Ltd, a manufacturer of engineered components for the oil industry. Alongside funds managed by Baird Capital Partners Europe, Yorkshire Bank provided facilities of £35m to support...
UK - YFM backs £6m buy-in of healthcare provider
YFM Private Equity has backed the £6m management buy-in of domiciliary care business Able Care. The deal was funded by investment from four funds managed by YFM Group – The Chandos Fund, North West Business Investment Scheme, The British Smaller Companies...
UK - Matrix invests £3m to support MBO of environmental technology company
Matrix Private Equity Partners has invested £3m to finance the management buyout of Monsal Ltd, a specialist environmental technology company providing solutions for the water and waste sectors. Matrix Private Equity is taking a significant minority...
SPAIN – Landon Investments acquires Sedal in EUR 35m deal
Landon Investments has acquired ceramic plumbing fixtures company Sedal from Espiga Capital and Baring Private Equity Partners (BPEP) for EUR 35m.
UK - Beringea acquires Donatantonio
Beringea has acquired food importer Donatantonio in a BIMBO deal.
UK - ICG backs MBO of Gaucho Grill from Phoenix
Intermediate Capital Group has invested minority equity and mezzanine capital to support Guacho's management team's acquisition of the company from previous backers Phoenix Equity Partners. The details of the deal were not disclosed. Phoenix considered...
SPAIN – Mercapital and Carlyle to acquire stake in Arsys.es
Buyout houses Mercapital and the Carlyle group have reportedly reached an agreement with internet company Arsys.es to acquire a 79% shareholding in the business in a deal valued at EUR 160m.
UK - August Equity and Huveaux no longer in talks
August Equity and Huveaux, a specialist media company listed on AIM, have abandoned talks. August Equity was understood to have entered detailed discussions about a possible take-private of the company. The London-based business focuses on e-learning...
UK - 3i agrees £228.6m take-private of Inspicio
3i has reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer with the board of Inspicio Plc to acquire the business. Inspicio is currently listed on AIM. The offer made at 225p per share values food inspection company Inspicio at approximately £228.6m.
BULGARIA - Advent backs tile maker KAI
Advent International has acquired a 70% stake in KAI Group, the largest maker of floor, wall and decorative ceramic tiles in Bulgaria.