Deals
FRANCE - Close Brothers mandated to sell Pizza Pino
Astorg Partners has reportedly mandated corporate financier Close Brothers to sell its portfolio company Pizza Pino.
GERMANY - Oaktree acquires European spirits business of Eckes & Stock
Oaktree Capital Management has acquired the European spirits business of Eckes & Stock GmbH. The acquisition completed in late July 2007. Macfarlanes provided legal advice to Oaktree.
FRANCE - Banque de Vizille invests in Dorthz
CIC Banque de Vizille has acquired 20% of Dorthz, a newly-created group comprising building materials manufacturer Eurodorthz and retailer CFC.
UK - Scottish and Southern Energy invests £2.7m InSource Energy
SSE Venture Capital Ltd, Scottish and Southern Energy's new corporate venturing vehicle, has invested £2.7m and acquired a 40% stake in InSource Energy, a bio-waste-to-energy business created by the Carbon Trust.
UK - Arts Alliance completes £50m exit from PrePay Technologies
Venture Capital firm Arts Alliance has fully exited its stake in PrePay Technologies Ltd through a £50m trade sale to Accor services, a subsidiary of quoted French company Accor.
SPAIN - Suan Biofarma launches and closes first investment
Pharmaceutical player Suanfarma has submitted its fund Suan Biotech to the approval of regulator CNMV, press agencies report. It is understood that the fund will have total funding of EUR 25m and will invest in the biotech and pharma sectors.
US/UK - Bridgepoint sells JDR Cable Systems to Vision Capital for £90m+
Bridgepoint has sold oil services company JDR Cable Systems to Vision Capital for a consideration believed to be over £90m. Bridgepoint acquired JDR in 1998 for £36m and subsequently moved its headquarters from Aberdeen to Houston, US.
UK - Montagu exits IT software insurance company in £276m deal
Montagu Private Equity has realised its investment in Open International, the specialist software supplier to insurance brokers. Montagu acquired the Worcester-based business in March 2006 for £182m and sold it to privately-owned insurance group Towergate...
SWEDEN - InnovationsKapital invests in Apptus
InnovationsKapital has invested in Apptus, a Swedish search and database technology company. The investment will be used to scale up operations and take aggressive measures with the intention of becoming an international player in search technology.
FRANCE - European Capital invested EUR 22m in Global Design Technologies
European Capital has announced it provided a EUR 22m second-lien to back the $343m acquisition of Franco-American aerospace and power generation supplier Global Design Technologies by Bridgepoint.
UK - Close Growth Capital backs SBO of Killby & Gayford from 3i
Close Brothers Growth Capital (CGC), the hybrid equity and debt finance provider, has backed the secondary buyout of specialist building contractor Killby & Gayford Group, from 3i. CGC is reported to have invested £13.35m for a significant minority equity...
UK - Tudor Group leads $6.5m additional series-A funding in Trutap
The Tudor Group, along with a group of angel investors, has led a $6.5m follow-on round of series-A venture funding in Trutap, provider of social networking services for mobile phones, bringing the total investment in the company to $13m.
UK - Smedvig Capital leads £4m investment in new drinks brand
Smedvig Capital has led an investment of £4m in new drinks brand SUSO Drinks Ltd.
UK - Risk Capital Partners acquires UK subsidiary of Borders Group
Risk Capital Partners has purchased national book retailers Borders and Books etc., UK subsidiaries of Borders Group, in a deal worth up to £20m.
SPAIN - Doughty Hanson and Co acquires 50% of residential developer
Doughty Hanson and Co, one of the largest European real estate fund managers, has acquired a 50% stake in Grupo Immobiliario Aranco, a family owned residential developer.
UK - RBS to sell train leasing business
Royal Bank of Scotland has hired Lazard to consider options for Angel Trains, the train leasing business it acquired in 1997 for £408m. The news comes at a time when train leasing companies are being investigated by the Competition Commission. Should...
GERMANY - JenaValve raises an additional EUR 10m
Paris-based Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners has led a EUR 10m series A-2 financing round of JenaValve™ Technology.
SPAIN - Nazca acquires two advertising companies
Nazca Capital has acquired advertising companies Sistemas e Imagen Publicitaria, based in Barcelona, and Mundex, based in Madrid.
SWEDEN - Segulah divests Previa to Tryg i Danmark
Segulah II, L.P. has agreed to divest AB Previa, a Swedish occupational health service provider, to Tryg i Danmark smba. Tryg i Danmark smba invests in companies within the health care and security sector and is also the majority shareholder of the TrygVesta...
UK - Finance Wales invests £200,000 in cell preservation company
Finance Wales has invested £200,000 as part of a £400,000 first round of funding for Abcellute Ltd, a specialist developer of a new cell preservation platform technology which has spun out of Cardiff University.
UK - Primary Capital sees 2x return from Elisabeth the Chef exit
Primary Capital has sold cake manufacturer Elisabeth the Chef (EtC) to Senoble, a France-based manufacturer of dairy deserts. The value of the deal has not been disclosed although it is reported that Primary recouped 2x its investment.
SPAIN - Chequers Capital leads MBO of ADP Travel Clearing
French buyout house Chequers Capital has acquired Travel Clearing de Automatic Data Processing from its parent company ADP alongside its management.
UK - Barclays Private Equity acquires Camden Corporate Fleet Services
Barclays Private Equity has backed the management buy-in/buyout of Camden Corporate Fleet Services Ltd. National Australia Bank provided debt to support the deal.
UK - Sainsbury's books open to Delta Two
Delta Two has been granted access to undertake due diligence on J Sainsbury Plc, the supermarket chain it has been courting since July. Delta Two, a vehicle backed by the Qatari Investment Authority, won over the board of Sainsburys after promising to...