Buyouts
UK - PPM Capital to acquire restaurant group Paramount
The restaurant group behind Chez Gérard and Caffè Uno is expected to be acquired by PPM Capital in a deal worth £108m. In the last financial year the restaurant group which is known as Paramount, which trades from 80 sites, generated sales in excess...
ITALY - Aksia Group buys majority stake in Turbosol
Private equity firm Aksia purchased a 80% shareholding in Turbosol Produzione SpA from its founding family for EUR 15m. The company, located in the suburbs of Treviso, specialises in the production of machinery and systems for pumping and spraying mortars...
FRANCE - 3i sells Keolis to SNCF
According to press reports, 3i has sold its 52.5% stake in Keolis back to its previous owner, state-owned rail group SNCF.
ITALY - Synergo Sgr buys 40% of Air Italy
Gianfilippo Cuneo's firm Synergo Sgr has recently agreed to invest an undisclosed amount of capital in return for a 40% stake in troubled low-cost airline Air Italy. The consideration has not been disclosed. The growth plan will see the expansion of the...
SPAIN - Applus+ still attracting private equity interest
Reports suggest that even after the failed takeover bid by Candover, the shareholders of Applus+ are still determined to sell the company.
ITALY - Synergo Sgr buys 40% of Air Italy
Gianfilippo Cuneo's firm Synergo Sgr has recently agreed to invest an undisclosed amount of capital in return for a 40% stake in troubled low-cost airline Air Italy. The consideration has not been disclosed. The growth plan will see the expansion of the...
UK - HitecVision and Ferncliff back Noble Denton Holding Ltd
The shareholders of Noble Denton Holding Ltd have today agreed to sell the company to a consortium of Norwegian investors consisting of HitecVision and Ferncliff. Key employees of Noble Denton will retain a significant 40% share of the business going...
FRANCE - Possible EUR 2bn sale of FNAC
According to reports in the French press, PPR is considering selling FNAC, a nationwide books and media retailer.
ITALY - Sinergia and Parà announce acquisition of Arquati
The fund Sinergia con Imprenditori, managed by private equity firm Synergo Sgr, and industrial player Parà have jointly acquired 100% of Arquati, a group specialised in picture frame moulding, wood drapery poles and tracks for the window covering industry....
UK - Duke Street Capital acquires 2e2 from Gresham in £130m deal
Duke Street Capital (DSC), has agreed to acquire leading IT services business 2e2 in a £130m secondary management buyout from Gresham Private Equity. 2e2, which has operations in the UK, Channel Islands, Holland and the Isle of Man, operates in a number...
GREECE - Apax and Texas to reap a fourfold return with TIM Hellas auction
Apax Partners and Texas Pacific Group have put a for sale sign on their portfolio company TIM Hellas, a Greek mobile services provider. According to press reports, the buyout firms have mandated Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers to begin an auction process...
FRANCE - Ciclad takes 84% of construction equipment business
Ciclad has taken an 84% stake in Hussor, a manufacturer of concrete moulds for the construction industry.
GERMANY - Raiden Capital acquires KSH Capital Partners
London-based buyout house Raiden Capital Ltd has acquired KSH Capital Partners AG, a sector-specific financial investor based in Hamburg and Lübeck.
UK - Gresham-owned Whitworths up for sale
Dried fruit packager, Whitworths, is being sold by current backers Gresham at a competitive process run by Rothschild. Several private equity firms including Lion Capital, European Capital, HgCapital and Barclays Private Equity are in the process of preparing...
UK - Bank of Scotland backs buyout of William Cook Defence
William Cook Defence Ltd (WCD), the North East-based specialist manufacturer of tracks and other engineering components, together with its subsidiary William Cook Intermodal Ltd have been acquired from William Cook Holdings Ltd, the Sheffield-based engineering...
ITALY - Carlyle to lead EUR 30bn bid for Telecom Italia businesses
According to reports in the Corriere della Sera, The Carlyle Group is planning a EUR 30bn bid for Telecom Italia's mobile telephony businesses. It will provide EUR 4bn of cash, while the other partners in the consortium, Permira and Blackstone Capital...
NL- Bencis acquires Aktiesport and Perri Sport
Bencis Capital Partners has acquired a substantial equity interest in the in the sport retails chains Aktiesport and Perry Sport through Unlimited Sports Group BV (USG).
UK - Signet wants to hang on to H Samuel and Ernest Jones
US jewellery company Signet has stated that it intends to hang on to its 590 outlets in the UK which trade under the H Samuel and Ernest Jones names. It is understood that the UK businesses are falling behind the fast-growing US businesses.
UK - Possible take-private of Inter Link Foods?
Reports suggest that the management of Inter Link Foods are in talks with private equity firms, including 3i, HgCapital and LDC, about the possibility of delisting the company. Its shares closed at 407.5p on Friday with management anticipating to demand...
SPAIN - Diana Capital and ICO buy 12.7% of Guascor Group
Diana Capital and the Instituto de Credito Oficial (ICO) have acquired a 12.7% shareholding in Guascor Group, a company focused in the development of marine propulsion equipment and engines. Private equity firm Diana Capital and ICO, the state-owned...
SPAIN - Permira secures Telepizza in EUR 850m deal
The five-month battle for Spanish pizza delivery chain Telepizza has come to an end with the winning bid of EUR 3.21 per share from Foodco Pastries and Medimosal, companies jointly owned by Permira and Telepizza founding family Ballve's investment vehicle...
SWEDEN - CapMan creates Nordic healthcare group
CapMan funds and Plena AB have signed an agreement for the acquisition of two Swedish healthcare companies SelefaTrade AB and Förbandsmaterial AB. The acquisitions have been made via the holding company that owns Finnish Tamro MedLab Oy, a business CapMan...
GERMANY - Nordic Capital's Nycomed acquires ALTANA for EUR 4.215bn
Nycomed, a portfolio company owned by Nordic Capital, has acquired ALTANA Pharma AG for four times its own enterprise value. Headquartered in Konstanz, the company is the pharmaceutical business of ALTANA AG's pharmaceuticals and chemicals group. If the...
UK - Risk Capital Partners acquires Patisserie Valerie
Risk Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in London's famous upmarket patisserie chain Patisserie Valerie. The acquisition has been made with a view to expanding the business and taking it national. The company has revenues in excess of £8m.