Buyouts
UK - Alchemy in takeover bid for Cathedral Capital
Alchemy Partners is set to acquire insurance and reinsurance group Cathedral Capital after 80% of the unlisted public company's shareholders recommended the offer.
UK - Permira, TDR and Apollo bid for Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe, the chain of 121 restaurants, four hotels and two casinos owned by UK leisure group Rank is being sold. Bidders include Permira, TDR Capital and US-based Apollo Management as well as trade interest from Seminole Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos,...
ITALY/GERMANY - Berlusconi and private equity funds to compete for media giant
According to reports in the Italian press, Silvio Berlusconi's broadcasting empire Mediaset is planning to launch a bid for 50.5% of German television network ProSiebenSat.1 Media. It is understood that a decision will be made next Tuesday, when the group's...
FRANCE - 21 Centrale Partners plans to delist Apem
21 Centrale Partners has entered negotiations to take-private Apem, a manufacturer of miniature switches for electronic applications notably.
UK - Whitbread rumours intensify as Starwood appoints former Whitbread director
Rumours surrounding the leisure group Whitbread and its possible delisting by Starwood Capital have intensified this morning as it emerged that Starwood had appointed Desmond Taljaard, formerly property director at the group.
UK - Private equity rumours continue to engulf Whitbread
Whitbread, the listed leisure group that owns Premier Travel Inn, Costa, David Lloyd Leisure and T.G.I. Fridays is again the subject of private equity speculation after market sources report that Starwood Capital has built up a 3% stake in the company.
GERMANY - KKR and Goldman Sachs acquire Kion forklift unit
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Goldman Sachs Group's private-equity unit have signed an agreement to acquire the Kion forklift unit of Wiesbaden-based Linde Group, the world's largest maker of industrial gases, for EUR 4bn. The sale is subject to regulatory...
UK - Hutton Collins backs James Hull Group
Hutton Collins & Co Ltd has acquired James Hull Group, a specialist dental corporate operating in both the public and private markets.
FRANCE - BNP Paribas Développement leads the buyout of Dufieux Industrie
BNP Paribas Développement has backed the buyout of Dufieux Industrie, a Grenoble-based industrial supplier for the aeronautical sector.
NORWAY - Reiten & Co purchases Ellipse-Klinikken
Reiten & Co has acquired a controlling ownership stake in Ellipse-Klinikken, the Nordic region’s largest non-invasive beauty clinic chain. Ellipse-Klinikken offers non-surgical treatments and has 9 locations in Scandinavia and 1 in the UK. In 2005,...
SPAIN - Nazca backs MBO of law information business
Private equity firm Nazca Capital has completed the acquisition of 100% of Corporación Empresarial El Derecho SA alongside its management. The deal value has not been disclosed.
SWEDEN - Opica's offer becomes unconditional
Opica AB, a company jointly owned by Apax Europe VI, Nordic Capital Fund VI and Apax France, has announced that all conditions to the offer for Swedish healthcare group Capio have been satisfied and that the offer therefore has become unconditional.
NL- Fortis Private Equity acquires Innovative Medical Solutions BV
Fortis Private Equity has acquired all shares in Innovative Medical Solutions BV (IMS) alongside the company's management.
NORWAY - Reiten & Co completes two new investments
Reiten & Co has announced two new investments in Norwegian Malthus and Airlift. It will aquire 75% of the shares in Malthus, a Stavanger-based supplier of modular structures to industry.
DENMARK - EQT Opportunity acquires Bodilsen
EQT’s special situations fund, EQT Opportunity Fund, has acquired 100% of the Danish furniture manufacturer Bodilsen from Bodilsen Holding A/S, a company listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. EQT Opportunity Fund will pay DKK 1m for the shares of...
GERMANY – Warburg Pincus acquires easycash
Warburg Pincus has acquired the leading German point of sale network service provider easycash from First Data International. The completion of the transaction is subject to approval of the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) and the deal value has not...
TURKEY – Advent International and Turkven acquire Roma Plastik
Financial Investors Advent International and Turkven Private Equity have acquired Turkish company Roma Plastik in a management buyout for EUR 56m. The company is currently one of the world’s top five manufacturers of edge bands for furniture and Turkey’s...
FRANCE - Apax Partners to delist Prosodie
Apax Partners has announced its has agreed to acquire 46.42% of Prosodie's shares from Alain Bernard via Camélia Participations for EUR 20 per share. Apax also announced its plan to file a tender offer for the remainder of the Prosodie's shares before...
UK - European Capital acquires Whitworths from Gresham for £86m
Gresham Private Equity has exited Whitworths through the sale of the business to European Capital in a deal worth £86m. The exit has generated a return of over 6x for Gresham, which acquired the company in a £15m management buyout in 2001.
FRANCE - Lion Capital sells jam maker to Activa Capital
Lion Capital has announced it has agreed to sell Materne, a leading French jam manufacturer to French mid-market buyout firm, Activa Capital.
FRANCE - Activa Capital backs the buyout of Françoise Saget
Activa Capital has backed the spin-out of Françoise Saget from Yves Rocher. The deal was leveraged by a debt package underwritten by Banque Palatine.
ITALY - Doughty Hanson acquires Zobele for EUR 300m
Doughty Hanson has agreed to purchase Trento-based company Zobele from its founders for around EUR 300m, according to reports in the Italian press. Zobele is active in the development of products and solutions for pest control, healthcare and household,...
SPAIN - Baring Private Equity Partners invests in the educational sector
Baring Private Equity Partners has taken a significant stake in multilingual school Estudios Agora for an undisclosed sum. According to reports in the Spanish press, the acquisition is the first step of a buy-and-build operation which aims to create a...
SWEDEN - Candover beds Hilding
Candover has signed an agreement to acquire Swedish mattress manufacture Hilding Anders from Investcorp for an enterprise value of SEK9.2bn (approx. €1bn).