Deals
UK - Reed Elsevier expects private equity interest in its education business
Reed Elsevier has hired UBS to advise it on the disposal of its education division.
UK - Apollo closer to making Countrywide offer
Apollo is one step closer to making a formal bid for UK estate agency Countrywide after arranging the financing for a possible deal. It is expected to offer approximately 597p per share trumping 3i's rejected bid of 570p earlier this year.
UK - Porton Capital portfolio company Acolyte Biomedica sold to 3M
Porton Capital has sold Acolyte Biomedica, a developer of technology to combat hospital acquired infections to 3M. Porton Capital first invested in Acolyte in 2004, participating in a ТЃ3.7m expansion round. In 2002, BioProjects International led a ТЃ2.6m...
UK - MTI, Hotbed and BASF Venture Capital invest £4.9m in DataLase
MTI Partners, Hotbed and BASF Venture Capital GmbH have invested ТЃ4.9m in series-B funding to support technology company DataLase. The company has developed a revolutionary high-quality method for applying laser-induced images for product identification,...
UK - Risk Capital Partners invests in APT Controls
Risk Capital Partners has made a significant investment in access technology company APT Controls Ltd. Risk Capital has bought around 45%, valuing the business at over ТЃ10m. APT is part of a buy-and-build strategy in the access control and security industries,...
IRELAND - Private equity backed-Smurfit Kappa in EUR 1.3bn IPO
Paper and packaging company Smurfit Kappa is to be listed on the Irish Stock Exchange in a EUR 1.3bn IPO. The company is backed by Madison Dearborn Partners, which owns a 47% stake and CVC and Cinven which own 21% each.
PORTUGAL - Inter-Risco backs car inspection business
Inter-Risco, the private equity arm of bank BPI, has invested EUR 17m in MasterTest in return for a 30% stake. The company provides car inspection services and it is based in Porto.
UK - Lion Capital set to dispose of Burton's Foods
Lion Capital is considering disposing of Burton's Foods, the maker of Wagon Wheels and Maryland Cookies which it acquired in 2000 for ТЃ130m in its former guise Hicks Muse Tate & Furst. This would be the second divestment in as many weeks for the investor,...
SPAIN - Mercapital, Ibersuizas and Vista compete for Indas
Reports in the Spanish press suggest that Mercapital and Ibersuizas have joined Vista in the competition for pharmaceutical business Laboratorios Indas. The deal is valued at around EUR 360m.
UK - BUPA next private equity target?
Market sources report that Temasek, the Singapore government investment group, is weighting up a bid for private healthcare provider BUPA. It is understood that at least one other private equity group may also be involved in a Temasek-led bid.
ITALY - Permira and Private Equity Partners exit Marazzi Group
Permira and Private Equity Partners have sold the 8.47% stake it had in tile business Marazzi. The shares were sold at the price of EUR 10.3 each.
UK - West Coast Capital offer for Blooms accepted
West Coast Capital will shortly add Blooms of Bressingham to its garden centre assets after the nursery chain's board accepted its offer. West Coast Capital led a consortium comprised of Baugur, HBOS and property entrepeneur Nick Leslau to bid ТЃ30.2m...
ITALY - Siena Venture backs local furniture business
Closed-end fund Siena Venture, managed by MPS Venture, has acquired a 41%stake in furniture business Segis SpA.
SWEDEN - Industrifonden invests SEK 7m in scuba diving company
Industrifonden has invested SEK 7m in Gothenburg-based scuba diving company Poseidon in a funding round also including Start Invest. Start Invest and Industrifonden will hold close to 50% of the shares in the business.
UK - The Capital Fund makes two investments
The Capital Fund has completed two investments. It has provided Iconium, a corporate governance and compliance software solutions-provider based in Horsham, with expansion capital of an undisclosed value.
UK - IMAC invests up to £4.15m in Community Television Networks
Ingenious Media Active Capital Ltd has completed an investment of up to ТЃ4.15m in Community Television Networks Ltd (CTN).
UK - Cognetas ends talks with fashion retailer Alexon
Market sources report that talks between the independent directors of fashion retailer Alexon and a management buyout team have ended. The team, believed to be backed by Cognetas, failed to reach an agreement on price.
FRANCE - Barclays Private Equity takes minority stake in scaffolding business
According to market sources, Barclays Private Equity has taken a minority stake in Entrepose-Echafaudages, in a secondary 'owner buyout'.
FRANCE - AXA Private Equity backs Brittany-based house builder
AXA Private Equity has acquired a minority stake in Trecobat, a house-builder focused on Brittany.
UK - Charterhouse acquires Drive Assist from TA Associates in EUR 380m deal
TA Associates has made returns of 3.3x its money through a sale of credit hire company Drive Assist UK Ltd to Charterhouse Capital Partners. The enterprise value of EUR 380m will reap an IRR of 44% for the investor which decided to exit following pro-active...
UK - Shackleton acquires four companies from 3i
Shackleton Ventures, the newly formed secondaries venture capital firm has agreed to purchase four investments from 3i. Shackleton was formed in July 2006 and can drawn on up to ТЃ20m of funds from its European fund-of-funds investor.
UK - Amadeus leads $10m investment in ip.access
Amadeus Capital Partners has led a follow-on round of financing of $10m in ip.access, a developer of cellular picocell and femtocell (cellular-over-IP) technologies. Existing investors Intel Capital Corporation, Rothschild & Cie Gestion and Scottish Equity...
UK - Star Capital Partners in £141m flight simulator deal
Star Capital Partners has acquired two flight simulator operators for a total consideration of ТЃ141m. The investment is being made from its second infrastructure fund leading commentators to suggest that high demand for infrastructure assets is resulting...
FRANCE - European Capital discloses its investment in Delsey
European Capital has announced that it provided a EUR 120m unirate loan to finance the buyout of luggage brand Delsey by Argan Capital.