Buyouts
FRANCE - ABN AMRO Capital and Astorg acquire OFIC
ABN AMRO Capital France and Astorg Partners have acquired OFIC for an enterprise value of EUR 210m. The buyout houses have taken equal shareholdings in the company, alongside its management team headed by Jean-Louis Roques. The deal also involves members...
NORWAY - Telenor Venture sells OilCamp
OilCamp AS has been sold to the management team and Petroleum Networks Holding AS. Petroleum Networks Holding is owned by the private equity fund Energivekst, managed by HitecVision, and has been established as the fund’s investment platform within...
FRANCE - AXA PE acquires Skyrock
AXA Private Equity has just signed an acquisition agreement for an 80% stake in Skyrock Group. It has been signed in association with Pierre Bellanger, CEO of Group Skyrock and Tamago, the company held by Morgan Grenfell Private Equity and Goldman Sachs.
FRANCE – Cinven set for UPC France mega-deal
Cinven has signed a letter of agreement with US-based cable operator Liberty Global to purchase UPC France for EUR 1.25bn. The deal is still in its very early stage, but Cinven is expected to pay a full 11.4 times UPC France’s 2005 operating cashflow,...
ITALY - Siparex Italia and Emerald invest in Vimec LBO
Siparex Italia has recently participated in the buyout of the world’s third-largest manufacturer of elevating equipment for the mobility impaired, alongside the fund Emerald. Siparex Italia has invested EUR 1.5m in a majority LBO that was completed...
GERMANY - Commerzbank takes MLA role on Norma buyout
Commerzbank Corporates and Markets (CBCM) has announced today that it is acting as sole mandated lead arranger and underwriter of the senior and mezzanine debt facilities supporting the buyout of Norma Group by 3i. The financing documentation was signed...
GERMANY - Industri Kapital acquires Sport Group from ECM
Industri Kapital has signed an agreement with funds advised by ECM to acquire Sport Group, a leading European provider of outdoor sport and recreational surface systems.
GERMANY - 3i Europe takes over major automotive supplier
3i Europe has acquired a controlling stake in German industrial supplier Rasmussen GmbH / Norma Group via a management buyout. The transaction includes all shares held by the company managers.
BULGARIA - Mezzanine Management backs bottled water firm
Mezzanine Management, the independent mezzanine and private equity provider, has announced that its Central European fund, Accession Mezzanine Capital (AMC), has backed the institutional buyout of the Devin Group, the largest bottled water company in...
UK - Permira abandons HMV bid
Shares in HMV Group have fallen following the decision by Permira to pullout of talks to buy the firm. Last week HMV rejected the private equity house's 210p a share bid for the company, which valued it at £842.7m and followed an earlier bid of 190p....
UK - CVC gets green light for F1 deal
The European Commission has approved the acquisition of the Formula One Group by funds managed or advised by CVC Capital Partners Group.
FRANCE - PE to bid for Emap assets?
According to press reports, private equity firms are expected to be involved in the bidding for Emap France, which is has been put up for sale for around EUR 600m.
UK - No deal at House of Fraser
House of Fraser has formally announced that preliminary talks regarding a possible offer for the company have ceased.
UK - a2e and The Capital Fund back data management MBO
Quadrate, a leading data management software company and creator of innovative solutions that enable businesses to rapidly migrate data to and from SAP, facilitating efficient data management and reporting, has completed an MBO. Funding was raised from...
FRANCE - Apax to sell ALAIN AFFLELOU
Alain Afflelou and Apax Partners today announce that they have entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of their interests in ALAIN AFFLELOU SA to an investment vehicle controlled by Bridgepoint based on a price of EUR 33 per ALAIN AFFLELOU SA...
GERMANY - AXA to buy Pfleiderer Track Systems
AXA Private Equity has signed a contract with Pfleiderer AG for the acquisition of Pfleiderer Track Systems. The acquisition is subject to approval by the German anti-trust authority. A previous exclusivity agreement entered into with Vossloh AG, Werdohl...
FRANCE - TowerBrook takes majority interest in engineering specialist
Private equity firm TowerBrook Capital Partners has today announced that funds managed and advised by TowerBrook will acquire a 67% shareholding in French engineering company GSE for an undisclosed sum. This transaction will also allow GSE’s management...
UK - GermanCapital makes UK acquisition
Calder Holdings Ltd, the parent company of Calder Group, has been acquired by GermanCapital GmbH and Cognis Capital Partners from Permira. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
UK - Hungry octopus buys pizza
Octopus Asset Management has today announced that is has backed the £7m acquisition of Perfect Pizza Ltd from Papa John’s. The investments will come from the Octopus funds Eclipse VCT Plc, Eclipse VCT 2 Plc and Eclipse VCT 3/4 Plc.
UK - Quadrate completes MBO
Quadrate, a data management software company and creator of innovative solutions that enable businesses to rapidly migrate data to and from SAP, facilitating efficient data management and reporting, has completed an MBO. Funding was raised from a2e Venture...
AUSTRIA - Carlyle to buy UC4 Software
According to press reports Carlyle Group has agreed to buy a majority stake in UC4 Software from Capexit and and PONTIS Venture, which acquired an interest in the firm in 2004.
THE NETHERLANDS - ABN AMRO helps Bols return home in EUR 210m deal
ABN AMRO Capital, the private equity business of ABN AMRO, and Huub van Doorne, former Rémy Cointreau SA Group executive board director, have agreed the buyout of a selection of key liqueurs and spirits of French international drinks company Rémy Cointreau....
POLAND - Mid Europa completes Aster buyout
Mid Europa Partners, through its Emerging Europe Convergence Fund II, L.P., has completed the acquisition of Aster, a leading provider of media and communication services in Poland. The agreement to acquire Aster from Hicks Muse Tate & Furst was first...
UK - Dunedin makes 6x money on Letts Filofax sale
Dunedin Capital Partners, the UK mid-market private equity house, has announced that Letts Filofax Group, the market leading supplier of personal organisers and diaries, has been sold to Phoenix Equity Partners for £45m.