Deals
SWEDEN- Industrifonden sells shares in XCounter
Industrifonden has sold their shares in XCounter, a medical equipment company listed on AIM. Industrifondens stake, which amounted to 4,74%, was sold for SEK 42m.
NL - Endemol snapped up by Mediaset
Endemol, the Amsterdam-listed production company is understood to have been acquired by Italian media company Mediaset. The deal values Endemol at EUR 3bn. Spanish company Telefonica announced its intention to sell its 75% stake in the company earlier...
SWITZERLAND - Allianz acquires vending machine company Selecta
Allianz Capital Partners has beaten competition from Terra Firma to acquire vending machine business Selecta for £772.5m. The operator of 150,000 vending machines in 22 countries, Zug-based Selecta became part of London-listed food service company Compass...
UK - Permira eyes Britvic again
Permira has resumed its interest in listed soft drinks company Britvic. Reports emerged that Permira was looking at the company, which suffered several profit warnings last year, in mid-2006. In December 2006, Permira acquired an 11% stake in the public...
FINLAND - 3i sells shares in Wicom to SAP
3i has agreed to sell its shares in Wicom to SAP. At the same time the other investors and the Wicom management are divesting their shares, hence SAP will become the sole owner of the business. Wicom specialises in IP telephony for businesses, servicing...
GERMANY - Chrysler sold to Cerberus for EUR 5.5bn
DaimlerChrysler has agreed to sell its Chrysler division to US private equity firm Cerberus for EUR 5.5bn. Cerberus will take an 80.1% stake with Daimler retaining 19.9%. The transaction has been supported by American unions. In 1998 Daimler paid $35bn...
UK - Beringea backs online lead generation company
Beringea, manager of the ProVen VCTs, has backed online lead-generation company Dianomi Ltd in an expansion capital deal for an undisclosed amount.
SWITZERLAND - Advanced Power AG receives EUR 31.5m financing
3i together with members of the Advanced Power board have invested EUR 31.5m in Swiss company Advance Power AG. The company is active in the development of electricity generation plants in Europe and the US. It currently has 10 ongoing projects in different...
GERMANY – Earlybird invests in smava
Earlybird has led a EUR 4m financing round in German internet company smava. This represents Earlybird’s second investment from the next-generation fund Earlybird IV. Other investors committing to the round are business angels Lukasz Gadowski, Stefan...
FRANCE - Alliance Entreprendre and Avenir Entreprises invest in Lewinger
Small- to mid-cap investors Alliance Entreprendre and Avenir Entreprises have backed the owner buyout of Roanne-based pret-a-porter specialist Lewinger.
UK - ISIS backs £11.5m MBO of CableCom
ISIS Equity Partners, investing funds from the Baronsmead VCTs, has completed the ТЃ11.5m management buyout of IT company CableCom. Based in Clevedon, near Bristol, CableCom operates in the growing market of IT and communication managed services to multi-tenanted...
FRANCE - PAI makes EUR 1.2bn bid for Kaufman et Broad
PAI partners has made an offer for 49% of house builder Kaufman et Broad, according to French press reports. The EUR 53.13 per share bid values the business at around EUR 1.2bn.
ITALY - Fashion house Valentino attracts private equity interest
The president of Valentino, Antonio Favrin, has reportedly said that the haute couture group has been approached by a handful of private equity firms. However, it is not yet clear if the stake for sale corresponds to a minority portion or a controlling...
FRANCE - Atos Origin snubs its suitors
Computer services business Atos Origin has decided to pursue its growth strategy on a stand-alone basis, ending speculation about a possible LBO.
GERMANY - Halder exits PRÜM-GARANT Holding
Halder Beteiligungsberatung GmbH has sold PRÜM-GARANT to Swiss industrial company Looser Holding AG for an undisclosed amount. Halder acquired PRÜM-Türenwerk GmbH in August 2004, and merged the company with its other acquisition GARANT Türen- und Zargen...
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.
UK - Oxford Capital Partners and Imperial Innovations in £3.1m second-round funding
Oxford Capital Partners and Imperial Innovations have co-led a ТЃ3.1m second round of funding for Veryan Medical Ltd, a developer of medical devices to improve the long-term effectiveness of medical care in patients with vascular disease. Existing investor...
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.
UK - 3i takes stake in Foster + Partners
3i has taken a minority stake in architecture practice Foster + Partners. The deal has enabled the company behind the Gherkin and the Millau viaduct in France to restructure management and broaden its shareholder base to include more employees. Equity...
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.