Buyouts
AUSTRIA - Nordwind and VMS to revive Cosmos
Specialist turnaround investors Nordwind Capital and Value Management Services (VMS) have together acquired 100% of Cosmos. Under the terms of the deal, VMS will place 100% of the shares it holds in Niedermeyer, which also operates in the consumer electronics...
ITALY - BS Private Equity acquires majority stake in Motovario
BS Private Equity, through its fund BS Investimenti IV, recently acquired a majority stake in Motovario, a manufacturer of power transmission products, from Power Transmission Finance. The consideration has not been disclosed.
GERMANY - Financial consortium exits Vestolit to Strategic Value Partners
Candover has sold PVC-producer Vestolit to Strategic Value Partners, alongside the company's management. A consortium of investors, led by Candover, acquired the company in 1999. Other groups making up the consortium were Chase Capital Partners, Foreign...
FRANCE - Charterhouse and Chequers reach threshold for Elior de-listing
Holding Bercy Investissement (HBI), a holding controlled by Charterhouse and Chequers, has acquired a block of 1,500,000 shares giving it 95.49% of the share capital in Elior.
FRANCE - AXA back the buyout of Champeau for the second time
AXA Private Equity has invested about EUR 10m, via its Small Caps Fund, in Champeau, the leading French manufacturer of wood roof truss systems. This is the second time the buyout house invests in this business.
FRANCE - Astorg completes secondary buyout of Staci
Astorg Partners has taken a 51% stake of marketing and stock logistics company Staci. Initiative & Finance, which had taken part in the de-listing of the business in 2004, has re-invested on this occasion.
UK - Och-Ziff Capital backs take-private of Whitehead Mann
City executive recruitment firm, Whitehead Mann has been acquired by Och-Ziff Capital Management in association with Palladian Investments, an investment vehicle owned by Piers Marmion.
UK - HgCapital acquires SHL
HgCapital has acquired SHL, a psychometric testing and assessment company with clients that include Abbey National, Marks & Spencer and Tesco.
UK - Blackstone only bidder left in final stages of auction for United Biscuits
Blackstone is the only contender left in the ТЃ1.7bn auction to acquire United Biscuits (UB), the foods company owned by Cinven, PAI and MidOcean Partners, after Premier Foods was forced to pull out as it could not raise the cash. The blow to the Premier...
SPAIN - Nazca buys El Derecho Editores
According to press reports, Nazca has agreed to buy El Derecho Editores, a company that specialises in online and offline legal information services, from its founders and management team. The purchase, expected to complete before the end of this year,...
FRANCE/ITALY - AXA Private Equity backs purchase of Guaber Household
AXA Private Equity has recently backed the purchase of a 100% stake in Guaber Household. Spotless Group, the holding of French business Eau Ecarlate and owned by its management and AXA, wholly acquired the Italian household cleaning products arm of Guaber...
UK - Octopus Investments acquires Golddigga for £18.5m
The Golddigga fashion brand has been acquired in an ТЃ18.5m buyout by its management team and Octopus Investments. Octopus led and arranged the deal, introducing buy-in candidate Daniel Morris who joined the company in June as CEO. The founder and vendor,...
UK - Cinven gains access to Gondola's books
The largest listed restaurant company in the UK, Gondola, has allowed Cinven access to its books. Cinven made a takeover approach to the owner of Pizza Express, ASK and Zizzi late last week and is considering making it a formal offer of 415p a share....
UK - LDC backs commercial mortgage lender with £27m investment
Commercial First, the specialist commercial mortgage lender, has secured the backing of private equity firm LDC to help grow the business ahead of a possible stock market flotation. Established in 2002 by financial industry experts Marty Finegold and...
UK - Advent International exits Financial Dynamics
Financial Dynamics (FD), the business and financial communications consulting firm has been acquired by FT Consulting, Inc, a consulting and technology service provider to major corporations for ТЃ137m. The transaction represents an exit for Advent International...
FRANCE - Alpha and Apax make major loss on Créatifs sale
Sources close to the deal have confirmed that Alpha Associés Conseil and Apax Partners have sold Créatifs to Developpement & Partenariat and Prado Finance, for EUR 500,000. The buyout houses had originally bought the conference visual designer in a EUR...
FRANCE - AXA Private Equity buys Eliokem for about EUR 130m
French buyout house AXA Private Equity has announced its acquisition of a majority stake in former Goodyear Tire spin-off Eliokem for about EUR 130m.
UK - Permira Funds acquire Principal Hotels
Permira has announced the acquisition of Principal Hotels from Royal Bank of Scotland by Permira Funds.
UK - 3i offloads portfolio of 10 mid-market buyout investments
Saints Capital, in partnership with Lexington Partners and Fortress Investment Group, announced that it has acquired a portfolio of 10 mid-market buyout investments from 3i. The transaction involved privately held industrial companies all based in the...
FRANCE - 3i backs the LBO of Selective Beauty
3i has announced it has invested EUR 50m of equity to acquire a 45% stake in perfumes and cosmetics distributor Selective Beauty.
FRANCE - Capzanine restructures Utram
Capzanine has announced its participation in the restructuring of audiovisual equipment rental business Utram. The deal means a partial exit for previous investor Naxicap and the arrival of management as a minority holder.
UK - TA Associates acquires SmartStream from 3i
SmartStream Technologies, the software provider which through its Transaction Lifecycle Management solutions provides services to 70 of the world's top 100 banks, has been acquired by TA Associates. The deal represents an exit for previous majority shareholder...
FRANCE - Butler Capital to buy Sernam
Sernam, a former subsidiary of the French railways company SNCF, has announced it has entered exlcusive talks with Butler Capital Partners, concerning the buyout house's acquisition of a majority stake.
UK - McCarthy & Stone acquired by HBOS consortium
The builder of private retirement homes and flats, McCarthy & Stone has been acquired by an HBOS consortium named Mother Bidco following the withdrawal of Permira and Barclays Capital's recommended offer. The withdrawal was sparked by Vincent Tchenguiz,...