Deals
UK - Amadeus leads $10m funding round for Belfast-based Aepona
Existing investors Amadeus Capital Partners, Polaris Ventures and Trinity Venture Capital have participated in a $10m series-C funding round for Belfast-based Aepona. The new funding follows previous rounds in 2003 and 2005, bringing total investment...
GERMANY - DZ Equity Partners buys Bader Group
DZ Equity Partner GmbH and company management have acquired the Senden-based Bader Group. The transaction was supported by a senior debt package provided by IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG.
UK - Bank of Scotland housebuilding portfolio company in talks with trade buyer
Bank of Scotland housebuilding portfolio company Linden Holdings is in exclusive talks with listed housebuilding and construction company Galliford Try to be acquired. A possible deal would represent an exit for Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance which...
GERMANY - Rademacher Group changes hands in secondary transaction
In a secondary buyout, NORD Holding Unternehmensbeteiligungsgesellschaft has acquired the Rademacher Group from ARCADIA. Management also invested and will hold a minority stake. The transaction value has not been disclosed.
POLAND - FL Group sells Kentpol
FL Group, the private equity arm of Icelandic bank, has fully exited its investment in Polish soft drinks and mineral water company Kentpol to Refresco Holding for an undisclosed sum. Following the transaction, Kentpol will continue to produce under its...
UK - The Carlyle Group acquires The Mill from 3i
The Carlye Group has acquired advertising visual effects group The Mill in a secondary management buyout from 3i for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition was made through Carlyle's technology fund, Carlyle Europe Technology Partners. Founded in 1990, The...
GERMANY - Venture capitalists exit Xignal Technologies
Benchmark Capital Europe, Atila Ventures, BayTech Venture Capital and STAR Ventures have exited their stakes in German data converter developer Xignal Technologies via a sale to US-based National Semiconductor Corporation. The venture capitalists had...
UK - Enterprise Equity has acquires Northern Irish bus company
Enterprise Equity, a private equity house with offices in both Northern Ireland and Eire, has acquired Chambers Coach Hire in a deal of undisclosed value. Chambers hires out coaches, mini-buses and limousines.
UK - TowerBrook leads tertiary £185m MBO of Jimmy Choo
TowerBrook Capital Partners has acquired luxury shoe company Jimmy Choo from Lion Capital in a ТЃ185m management buyout deal. Galas Capital, founder and president of Jimmy Choo, Tamara Mellon, along with CEO Robert Bensoussan and the rest of the company's...
UK - Sainsbury's would be Europe's biggest deal
Speculation about private equity's first foray into the FTSE 100 via a possible take-over of supermarket giant Sainsbury's has intensified over the weekend. CVC, Blackstone and KKR revealed they were considering a bid for the company after the founding...
UK - Countrywide a target again as Apollo circles
Market sources suggest that Apollo is preparing to launch a bid for Countrywide. The UK estate agency chain was recently the subject of a 3i take-private bid which lost its footing after shareholders, including a number of hedge funds, believed 3i's offer...
FRANCE - TCR Capital backs secondary buyout of Locatel
Via its fund TCR Capital Partners III, the private equity firm has backed the secondary buyout of hotel and hospital multimedia services provider Locatel.
FRANCE - Auriga leads EUR 8.4m second round for Theraptosis
Auriga Partners, Seventure, Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, CDC Entreprises and industrial company Blue Medical have committed over EUR 8m in the series-B financing of pharma company Theraptosis.
SPAIN - Benchmark Capital Europe backs Internet business
Alongside telecom player Swisscom, private equity firm Benchmark Capital Europe is backing Whisher, a Spanish company launching the first social network powered by a Wi-Fi network.
SPAIN - Vista Capital leads competition for pharma business
Reports in the Spanish press suggest that Vista Capital is the most likely buyer of pharmaceutical business Laboratorios Indas. The deal is valued at around EUR 360m.
UK - Bridgepoint- and LDC-backed Adams to avoid administration
Bridgepoint- and LDC-backed UK retailer Adams may have attracted a suitor that would save the retailer from administration, although the buyout houses are unlikely to generate any positive returns as a result.
UK - GIMV, 3i and Atlas exit biotechnology company via sale to AstraZeneca
London-based biotechnology company Arrow Therapeutics has been acquired by AstraZeneca in a $150m deal allowing previous investors GIMV, Atlas Venture, 3i, Alta Partners, ITX, Merlin BioMed Group, NIF, Northern Venture Managers, Scottish Widows Investment...
UK - Private equity to try something new at Sainsbury's?
CVC, KKR and Blackstone are all reported to be pondering a take-private bid for supermarket giant Sainsbury Plc. Shares in the company rose to their highest level for eight years yesterday amid speculation of a take-over.
UK - ECI Partners makes 2.6x from Enviros exit
ECI Partners has sold Enviros, an environmental consultancy business, to Alfred McAlpine Plc for ТЃ30m. This represents a money multiple of over 2.6x ECIтs investment. ECI backed the ТЃ17m management buyout of Enviros in 2001. Enviros now boasts a blue...
UK - Endless acquires Bernstein Group
Endless has acquired the Bernstein Group Holdings, a UK kitchen manufacturer which has a turnover of ТЃ27m. Despite the growth in its core kitchen business, supplying house builders, national distributors and social housing. Administrators were appointed...
PORTUGAL - The Riverside Company completes acquisition of ONI
US private equity firm The Riverside Company has completed the acquisition of Lisbon-based ONITelecom - Infocomunicações SA from utilities player EDP (Energias de Portugal).
ITALY - Aksia Capital III backs industrial player
Fund Aksia Capital III, closed earlier this week, has purchased a majority stake in Robuschi SpA, a manufacturer of industrial blowers and pumps.
SWEDEN - EQT sells HemoCue to Quest Diagnostics
EQT II BV has sold HemoCue, a point-of-care diagnostic testing company, to Quest Diagnostics.
UK - Octopus Investments backs acquisition of specialist history publishers
Octopus Investments has invested ТЃ5.5m in NPI Media Group to facilitate the acquisitions of two of its key competitors. Equity investment was provided as part of a combined deal valuation of ТЃ15m, which included funding from GMAC Commercial Finance...