Buyouts
IRELAND - Terra Firma portfolio company in $5.2bn buyout
Terra Firma portfolio company AWAS, an aircraft leasing company headquartered in Dublin, has acquired Pegasus Aviation Finance Company in a $5.2bn buyout from Oak Tree Capital Management.
TURKEY - Global Finance buys stake in Biofarma
Greek private equity firm Global Finance is the latest investor to purchase a stake in Turkish pharmaceutical business Biofarma.
FRANCE - Atos Origin will break the suspense on Monday
The shares of French computer servies giant Atos Origin have been suspended pending a press release to be published on Monday morning.
UK - PAI hungry for Big Brother-maker
Production company Endemol, the name behind Big Brother and Deal or No Deal is on the block with bids expected to fetch EUR 3bn. Spanish group TelefУГnica announced its plans to sell its 75% stake earlier this year.
UK - JC Flowers sniffs out Friends Provident with AXA
Shares in Friends Provident climbed yesterday amid speculation that JC Flowers is considering working on a bid for the UK life assurer with insurance giant AXA.
FRANCE - Sofimac Partners invests EUR 250,000 in Cottel
Sofimac Partners, a regional growth cpaital investor focusing on the Massif Central, Rhône-Alpes and Southern regions, has invested EUR 250,000 in the owner buyout of Cottel, a manufacturer of advertising objects.
FRANCE - XAnge Capital invests in Edipro
XAnge capital has invested around EUR 2m in the owner buyout of digital printing management system Edipro, in exchange for a 32% stake.
UK - TPG and Warburg Pincus team up to acquire New Look for £2bn
Texas Pacific Group and Warburg Pincus have teamed up to bid for low-cost fashion retailer New Look. Press reports suggest the TPG consortium is currently front runner to acquire the Weymouth-based retailer in a Merrill Lynch-run auction. CVC, Cinven...
UK - Bank of Scotland supports McColl acquisition of Weir with £30m equity bridge
Weir Pumps has been acquired by Jim McColl's Clyde Blowers group of companies in a ТЃ100m deal. Bank of Scotland provided a ТЃ3 0 m equity bridge to ensure the swift completion of the deal. An Entrepreneur Fund will be established by the management...
UK - Babcock edges out Carlyle in Devonport deal
An initial agreement between the vendors of naval dockyard Devonport and Babcock International indicates that Babcock has edged out rival bidder Carlyle. The ТЃ350m deal would be subject to approval from the Ministry of Defence and competition authorities,...
UK - Sovereign in £11m buyout of living care company
Sovereign Capital has backed the ТЃ11m institutional buyout of Parallel Options Ltd, a provider of supported living care services to adults with learning disability or mental health needs in Gloucestershire.
UK - YFM's Chandos Fund completes first deal with £2.3 investment
YFM Private Equity's latest fund, Chandos, has completed its first buyout. Chandos's first deal, a ТЃ2.3m investment in fitted kitchen specialist Harvey Jones, follows its first close on ТЃ23m in January. The fund is targeting a final close of ТЃ40m,...
UK - Alchemy interested in Torex Retail
Alchemy Partners is reported to be interested in acquiring struggling software retailer Torex Retail. Aim-listed Torex hit trouble earlier this year with a profit warning and a suspension in the trading of its shares. It is currently under investigation...
UK - BC Partners wins £400m auction for Foxtons
It is understood that BC Partners has reached exclusivity in its bid to acquire estate agency chain Foxtons. The deal values the primarily London-focussed agency at ТЃ400m. In a process run by Credit Suisse, BC Partners beat off competition from other...
GERMANY - Greater Pacific Capital front runner in bid for Merck division
UK-based private equity firm Greater Pacific Capital is the front runner to acquire the generic drugs division of Merck. GPC is bidding in association with Indian company Torrent Pharmaceuticals and backing from Fortress Group and Tudor Investment. The...
SPAIN/FRANCE - Altadis opens its books to trigger bidding war
In an effort to ramp up competition for its acquisition, Franco-Spanish tobacco company Altadis yesterday opened its books to the scrutiny of bidders Imperial Tobacco and a CVC Capital Partners/PAI partners syndicate.
FRANCE - HgCapital buys French wind farms for EUR 69m
Via its fund Hg Renewable Power Partners, HgCapital has acquired four wind farms in the Picardie region, for a total consideration of EUR 69m.
SPAIN - Torreal buys minority stake in audiovisual group
Private equity firm Torreal has bought a 20% stake in audiovisual group Imagina. No further financial information has been disclosed.
UK - Advent International acquires Lloyds TSB Registrars in £550m deal
Advent International has acquired the share registration arm of Lloyds TSB for ТЃ550m. The deal came about after Lloyds TSB appointed Lehman Brothers to run a sale process. Advent beat off competition from Australian company Link Market Services which...
UK - CVC reported to be interested in Jessops
London-listed camera retailer Jessops is the subject of takeover speculation. The company's shares are trading at a fifth of what they were worth last year following a series if profit warnings. CVC is reported to be interested in the company.
UK - One Equity encounters new competition for EMI takeover approach
One Equity is facing competition in its bid to acquire London-listed music publisher EMI. EMI is reported to have opened its books to US hedge fund Cerberus and Fortress Investment Group as well as One Equity, the private equity arm of JP Morgan that...
UK - Morrisons latest supermarket to attract private equity interest
Morrisons is the latest UK supermarket chain to have attracted private equity interest. The Bradford-based chain is the fourth largest supermarket in the UK following its takeover of Safeway in 2004. A private equity bid could value Morrisons at up to...
UK - Bridges leads SBO of Triage from 3i
Bridges Ventures has led the secondary buyout of IT repair company Triage Services. The deal represents an exit for 3i which backed the original ТЃ9m management buyout of the company in 1997. Kaye Enterprises and Calculus Capital also participated in...
UK - Bridgepoint secures Leeds Bradford deal
Bridgepoint has won the auction for Leeds Bradford Airport. It is paying ТЃ145.5m to acquire the asset from its five local council owners. Bridgepoint intends to invest up to ТЃ70m in the facility to try to double passenger numbers. In 2005, the airport...