Deals
UK - Apollo's Countrywide bid faces further challenge
Apollo's ТЃ1bn offer for Countrywide is expected to encounter difficulty next month when it faces a shareholder vote at an extraordinary meeting on the news that hedge fund Polygon Investment Partners has increased its stake in the UK estate agency chain...
UK - More Sainsbury's share movements
Robert Tchenguiz has raised his stake in Sainsbury's from 4.04% to 4.15%. It is thought the property tycoon is interested in working with the board of the UK supermarket giant to help it realise some of the value of its property. Tchenguiz has previous...
GERMANY - Neuhaus Partners exits Gentleware
Neuhaus Partners GmbH has sold Gentleware AG to software house b+m Informatik AG. The transaction value has not been disclosed, but company founder Dr Marko Boger remains invested with a 25% stake.
NL - Bridgepoint acquires Wolters Kluwer Education for EUR 774m
Bridgepoint has announced that it has acquired Wolters Kluwer Education (WKE) in a transaction which values the company at EUR 774m. Debt was provided by ING and Société Générale.
SWEDEN - Industry Capital sells Prevesta to Block Watne Group for SEK 1.9bn
Block Watne Group (BWG), one of Norway’s leading housebuilders and listed on Oslo Børs, has entered into an agreement with Industri Kapital's 2004 Fund to buy 100 per cent of the shares in Prevesta, Sweden’s leading producer of prefabricated houses with...
UK - Aberdeen leads ID Support Services buyout
Aberdeen Asset Managers Growth Capital has led the management buyout of ID Support Services Ltd (IDSS), a group providing electronic security systems and climate control solutions. IDSS has two divisions, ID Technology Group specialises in the provision...
UK - Esprit Capital Partners invests $15m in Tribold
Esprit Capital Partners has led a $15m series B funding round for Tribold, a provider of product management enterprise software developed for communication service providers. Esprit joins previous investor Eden Ventures which also participated in this...
UK - Iceni Capital completes second transaction
Iceni Capital has supported the buyout of Pell & Bales, a not-for-profit specialist marketing services company. Led by the CEO of Pell & Bales, the buyout allows the founder to retire from the company and gives the management team the capital resources...
UK - Bridgepoint acquires Fat Face for £360m
Bridgepoint has acquired clothing retailer Fat Face from Advent International in a transaction totalling ТЃ360m. The company has a turnover of ТЃ111m and a run rate EBITDA of ТЃ30.4m for the year ended 31 May 2007 and employs over 1,500 staff.
UK - Smedvig invests £6.4m in Streetcar
Smedvig Capital has invested ТЃ6.4m in Streetcar, a pay-as-you-go car club. The new capital will be used to finance Streetcar's aggressive growth plans, increasing the number of locations and the size of its fleet.
NORWAY - Radiocrafts receives growth capital from Verdane Capital
Radiocrafts AS, a leading supplier of wireless radio frequency (RF) modules to the professional market for communication in the license-free frequency bands, has received growth capital from Verdane Capital. The new funding is part of the strategy to...
UK - Apax cashes in on wafer firm
Apax Partners is believed to have made a profit of ТЃ25m on the sale of Wales-based silicon wafer reclamation group Pure Wafer.
UK – Apax and Permira seek New Look suitor
Apax Partners and Permira are reportedly expecting up to ТЃ2bn for the sale of portfolio company New Look, a UK fashion retailer. The private equity backers have mandated Merrill Lynch to explore options for the company, which they jointly hold two thirds...
GERMANY - CVC sells ista to Charterhouse for EUR 2.4bn
CVC Capital Partners has sold its stake in energy metering and billing company ista to Charterhouse Capital Partners for a total transaction value, including debt, of EUR 2.4bn. CVC acquired ista in a management buyout in June 2003.
NL - Bridgepoint to acquire Wolters Kluwer education division
Wolters Kluwer, the Dutch publishing group, is understood to have agreed the sale of its education division to Bridgepoint Capital in a deal worth more than EUR 750m.
US - Blackstone files for IPO
The Blackstone Group has filed for a partial flotation, in a move which could value it at up to $40bn. The firm filed to raise $4bn in a 221-page public offering prospectus, revealing interesting insights into its accounts in the process. Blackstone...
FRANCE - Camaieu sold to Cinven
AXA Private Equity will sell its controlling shareholding in clothing brand Camaïeu to Cinven, at a unitary share price of EUR 267. The offer values the target at EUR 1.6bn.
ITALY - DGPA Capital acquires adhesive label manufacturer
Private equity firm DGPA Capital wholly acquired Mida from a group of local entrepreneurs and private investors for EUR 7.4m. Out of that amount, one third is equity and a debt package provided by Centrobanca represents two thirds of the total deal value....
ITALY - 3i to float Giochi Preziosi in 15 months
According to Italian press reports, toy manufacturer Giochi Preziosi is to list in the Milan Stock Exchange before the end of H1 2008.
UK - ISIS and Invex acquire Quantix
ISIS Equity Partners alongside Invex Capital Partners have led the management buyout of Quantix Limited, a Nottingham-based provider of IT Managed Services. ISIS and Invex invested ТЃ4.8m in equity with a debt package supplied by Lloyds TSB Corporate...
NL - Van den Ende & Deitmers acquires 30% stake in Albumprinter
Van den Ende & Deitmers Crossmedia Fund has acquired a 30% stake in Albumprinter, a company which offers a fully integrated end-to-end solution that enables consumers to create hard cover photo books and other photo products using their own digital images....
FRANCE - Barclays PE backs secondary buyout of Kermel
Barclays Private Equity has led the secondary buyout of aramide fibres manufacturer Kermel, alongside management and previous investor Argos Soditic.
UK - Trapezia backs Sarah Arnett
Trapezia Capital, the UK's first fund dedicated to women-focused businesses, has invested in fashion designer label, Sarah Arnett Ltd.
UK – ABN Amro makes 47% IRR on £438m Park Resorts sale to GI Partners
ABN Amro Capital has yielded a 47% IRR and money multiple of 2.4x on the sale of UK caravan park business Park Resorts Group to GI Partners for ТЃ438m. ABN Amro acquired GB Holiday Parks in November 2004 for ТЃ105m and only a month later bolted on Park...