Deals
GERMANY – Saratoga acquires lighting technology provider
Saratoga Partners has acquired the lighting technology branch of glass manufacturer Schott AG for an undisclosed sum. Following the transaction the division will operate under the name of Auer Lighting GmbH.
UK - MMC Ventures invests £1.4m in The Practice
MMC Ventures has completed an investment of £1.4m in The Practice Plc (formerly Practice Networks), a primary healthcare company that manages surgeries on behalf of GPs and provides primary care service contracts to Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).
FRANCE - EPF Partners backs OBO of Data Concept Informatique
EPF Partners has acquired 38% of IT services company DCI as part of an owner buyout deal.
UK - Mercia Fund leads investment into Warrick Effect Polymers
The Mercia Technology Seed Fund has led an investment in biopolymer company Warrick Effect Polymers (WEP).
UK - 3i et al. lead $26m funding round for Light Blue Optics
3i together with German group Earlybird Venture Capital and Belgium-based Capital-E have led a $26m funding round for miniature projection technology company Light Blue Optics. NESTA also participated in the deal which follows the $2.5m of seed funding...
UK - Seraphim Capital invests £2m in MirriAd
Seraphim Capital has led a £2m funding round for embedded advertising specialist MirriAd Ltd. Seraphim Capital is a £30m enterprise capital fund.
UK - Endless exits H&L Garages one year on
Endless has realised its investment in H&L Garages Ltd, a Mercedes-Benz commercial dealership, through a sale back to management. Endless supported the £8.5m mangement buyout of the business from PD Ports in September 2006.
UK - FL Partners acquires Racing Post for £170m
FL Partners, the Dublin-based private equity investment firm, has acquired the Racing Post from Trinity Mirror Plc for £170m. The purchase includes the Racing Post newspaper together with its website, a number of weekly and annual racing publications,...
SWEDEN - Verdane Capital VI acquires three telecom companies
Verdane Capital VI KS has acquired three telecom companies, Ukvio, Itesco and Ahhaaa, from Inbox Investment AB for an undisclosed sum. Verdane Capital’s holding in the companies ranges from 6% to 33%.
UK - Bridgepoint sells Protocol Skills to CBPE
Bridgepoint has sold Protocol Skills, a business training company, to Close Brothers Private Equity. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
UK - TA Associates delays SmartStream float
The bookbuilding period on TA Associate's flotation of software portfolio company SmartStream has been extended until next week. Conditional trading was expected to start today. News of the delay follows a reduction in the price of the offering by £100m...
UK - Sovereign Capital completes portfolio acquisition
Sovereign Capital portfolio company Alkare Holdings Ltd, a Swansea-based residential health provider for people with mental health needs and learning difficulties, has completed the acquisition of Cardiff-based Positive Lifestyles Ltd for an undisclosed...
FRANCE - Banexi CP takes 35% of France Géothermie
Banexi Capital Partenaires has backed the owner buyout of France Géothermie, a manufacturer of geothermic and aerothermic pumps.
FRANCE - Bongrain sells its Gastronomie division to 21 Centrale Partners
21 Centrale Partners has secured the spin-off of Euronext-listed food producer Bongrain's non-dairy activity.
FRANCE - Barclays Private Equity wins Karavel-Promovacances auction
Barclays Private Equity has backed the management buyout of online tour operator Karavel-Promovacances from Opodo, which is re-focusing on selling flights.
UK - Barclays realises IRR of 22% from MBB of Benlowe Group
Barclays Ventures has exited its stake in joinery products manufacturer Benlowe Group in a deal which has generated returns of 2.16x the investment and an IRR of 22%.
NL - HgCapital acquires Fabory for EUR 345m
HgCapital has acquired Fabory (formerly Borstlap Group), a distributor of industrial fastners, from AAC Capital Partners (formerly ABN AMRO Capital) in a deal which values the company at EUR 345m. Bank of Scotland provided a financing package to support...
UK - Imperial Innovations takes 38% stake in EVO Electric
Imperial Innovations has invested £375,000 as part of a £1.5m round of funding in EVO Electric Ltd, a developer of electrical motors and generators, and increased their stake in the company to 38%.
UK - Graphite achieves 3x return from Golden Tulip sale
Graphite Capital has wholly exited its stake in the UK subsidiary of budget hotel group Golden Tulip in a trade sale to Whitbread plc worth £44m; generating a return of 3x its investment.
UK - Graphite sells hotel chain for £44m
Graphite Capital has sold budget hotel group Golden Tulip to Whitbread Plc for £44m. Golden Tulip manages five 3-star Tulip Inn hotels and one 4-star Golden Tulip hotel in the UK with a total of 770 rooms. It also has nine more hotels in the planning...
DENMARK - DSM Venturing leads EUR 6.8m investment in Upfront Chromatography
DSM Venturing has led a EUR 6.8m investment round together with existing investors, InnovationsKapital and NBGI Ventures, in Upfront Chromatography, a Danish biotechnology company. The new funding will be used to scale up the sales force, especially in...
UK - Lyceum sells NBG for £91m
Lyceum Capital has wholly exited its stake in National Britannia Group, a specialist provider of health and safety compliance services, in a trade sale to Connaught Plc worth £91m.
UK - Pension Corporation makes play for telent Plc
Pension Corporation has made a 600p per share offer for telent, the only part of former industrial giant Marconi that remains independent. The deal represents a market capitalisation of £389m and has been recommended by telent's board. The trustees of...
SWEDEN - Industrifonden invests SEK 10m in Coresonic
Industrifonden has invested SEK 10m in Coresonic, a Linköping-based semiconductor company. The investment will be used to develop the company’s products and further penetrate the market.