Deals
UK - Graphite realises 7.6x returns from sale of Huntress to Nomura
Graphite Capital has sold recruitment specialist Huntress Group to Nomura in a secondary management buyout. Graphite achieved total returns of 7.6x the money invested, representing an IRR of 38.5%. The value of the deal was understood to be in the region...
FRANCE - LFPI exits recycling business
La Financière Patrimoniale d'Investissement (LFPI) has sold its stake in Bartin Recycling Group, a company which collects, treats and recycles industrial waste, to larger competitor Veolia Propreté.
UK - SEP invests £2.5m in Skyscanner
Scottish Equity Partners has invested £2.5m in Skyscanner, a commercial flight search engine. The investment represents Skyscanner's first round of funding.
GERMANY – Nord Holding provides expansion capital to Eckhard Marine
Nord Holding Unternehmensbeteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, based in Hanover, has invested in Hamburg-based Eckhard Marine GmbH. The financing was provided in the form of a stille Beteiligung.
UK - Oxford Capital Partners leads £1.5m investment into Oxitec
Oxford Capital Partners has led a £1.5m round of funding into Oxitec Ltd, a company which develops pest control solutions that do not use insecticides, alongside exisiting investors East Hill, the University of Oxford and the management team. Oxford...
SWEDEN - FSN Capital II acquires fitness chain
FSN Capital II has acquired 70% of Nautilus Group, a Nordic fitness chain, for an undisclosed value. Debt financing for the transaction was supplied by DnB NOR.
UK - ECI sells Bounty for £70m
ECI Partners has agreed to sell Bounty, the UK’s largest parenting club for £70m. The acquirer is Kaboose, the largest independent family-focused online media company in North America. Since funding the management buyout of Bounty in December 2004,...
UK - Phoenix-backed Gaucho scraps IPO
Phoenix Equity Partners portfolio company Gaucho has abandoned its plan to float on the London Stock Exchange. The restaurant chain has been owned by Phoenix since August 2006 when it bought it as part of a £55m secondary buyout from Barclays Private...
UK - 3i acquires Agent Provocateur
3i has signed an agreement to acquire Agent Provocateur, the luxury brand lingerie retailer. 3i's funding will enable Agent Provocateur to pursue further growth opportunities. The deal sees both the founders remain as shareholders in the business, with...
GERMANY – Strategic Value Partners to exit Vestolit
According to the German press, US Strategic Value Partners plans to exit Vestolit, a Marl-based producer of PVC. Strategic Value Partners bought the company from a Candover-led consortium last year.
UK - Accel invests in GetJar
Accel Partners has invested an undisclosed sum in GetJar, a mobile application distribution and developer community, in a series-A funding round.
UK - Eden supports Huddle with $4m investment
Eden Ventures has led a series-A $4m funding round for Huddle.net, a provider of social business networks.
UK - AnaCap acquires Apex from BCW Group
AnaCap Financial Partners, the financial services specialist private equity fund, has acquired debt collection company Apex Credit Management Ltd from BCW Group Plc. The deal was structured as a management buy-in led by Neil Clyne.
GERMANY – MIG-Fonds 5 invests EUR 27m in Antisense Pharma
MIG AG has invested EUR 27m in Antisense Pharma GmbH, a developer of targeted therapies for malignant tumors.
SWEDEN - Industrifonden invests SEK 27m in three companies
Industrifonden has completed a SEK 27m investment in three different companies in the electronics, nano-technology and cleantech sectors.
GERMANY – Aurelius buys Zeeb & Hornung
Aurelius AG has acquired shirt manufacturer Zeeb & Hornung GmbH & Co. for an undisclosed amount from its previous owners, as part of a succession plan.
SWEDEN - EQT lists Duni for EUR 250m
EQT-backed Duni Holding AB, the Swedish catering supplier, has been listed on OMX Nordic Exchange. The listing comprises 28,200,00 shares at SEK 50 per share representing a market-capitalisation of EUR 250m. The IPO was approximately twice oversubscribed...
BELGIUM - Lion completes EUR 263m Adventure deal
Lion Capital has completed the acquisition of AS Adventure Group, a Belgium-based speciality retailer of outdoor equipment and clothing, in a deal which values the company at EUR 263m.
UK - Hotbed members invest £3.3m to back buyout of DIY supplier
Hotbed, a UK private investor syndicate, has invested £3.3m to back the management buyout of Avocet Hardware. Avocet is a supplier of screws, nails, fixings and general ironmongery products to the UK’s biggest DIY retailers, including B&Q, Focus and...
GERMANY - MX Mercury Beteiligung acquires Consolidated Fire Protection Holdings Inc
Industri Kapital portfolio company MX Mercury Beteiligung GmbH has acquired Consolidated Fire Protection Holdings Inc for an undisclosed sum. Law firm Clifford Chance acted as advisors on the deal.
UK - MSIF invests £200,000 in So Protect Me
The Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF) has invested £200,000 from its Liverpool Seed Fund into card protection software developer So Protect Me.
SWEDEN - EQT leads SEK 9.6bn take-private of Securitas Direct
ESML Interessenter AB, jointly owned by EQT V, Säkl AB, Melker Schörling AB (MSAB) and Investment AB Latour, has made a public cash offer of Securitas Direct AB, a Swedish security services company. The shareholders of the company have been offered...
GERMANY – CFC Industriebeteiligungen acquires Vogt electronic Letron GmbH
Dortmund-based CFC Zwischenholding GmbH has acquired 100% of the shares of Vogt electronic Letron GmbH from Vogt electronics EMS GmbH, a subsidiary of Vogt electronic AG for an undisclosed amount. Vogt electronics Letron GmbH develops, manufactures and...
UK - Octopus and Aberdeen provide FSP with additional £3.75m
Funeral Services Partnership (FSP) has secured an additional £3.75m of funding from Octopus Investments and Aberdeen Asset Managers Growth Capital. The deal represents the first by Octopus Investments Intermediate Capital team, a specialist mezzanine...