Deals
AUSTRIA – Darby commits EUR 20m to DDSG Cargo buyout
Darby Converging Europe Mezzanine Fund has committed EUR 20m to a EUR 100m leveraged buyout of river transportation company DDSG Cargo Group by East Point Holdings, a Serbian-controlled conglomerate.
SWITZERLAND – PregLem raises CHF 32m
Sofinnova Partners together with NeoMed Management and MVM LifeScience Partners has co-led a CHF 32m series-A financing round in biopharmaceutical company PregLem.
GERMANY – Bain Capital buys yacht manufacturer
Bain Capital has acquired Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH from the founding families Herrmann and Meltl for an undisclosed amount.
GERMANY – Terra Firma sells 50% of Tank & Rast
Terra Firma has sold 50% of German motorway service operator Tank & Rast to RREEF, the global alternative investment management business of Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management division. The transaction value has not been disclosed. The financial investors...
UK - Duke Street and Europa in £260m buyout of Channel Islands group
Duke Street Capital and Europa Capital have made a recommended offer for Jersey-based company C.I. Traders Ltd. The proposal values the business at approximately £260m and includes funds provided by Uberior Co-Investments Ltd, a Bank of Scotland-owned...
UK - Balderton Capital backs online debt management start-up
Balderton Capital has provided Wonga, a start-up online service for same day personal debt management, with $6m of early-stage funding. The investment will be used to accelerate platform and product development, with the goal of establishing Wonga as...
FRANCE - Alyotech receives backing from Iris and CDC Entreprises
Iris Capital and CDC Entreprises have committed up to EUR 10m for technology consultancy group Alyotech.
CEE - Mid Europa Partners completes first ever leveraged buyout in Serbia
Mid Europa Partners has acquired a controlling stake in Serbia Broadband (SBB) from SEEF I fund, managed by Bedminster Capital Management. The deal represented the first leveraged buyout in Serbia.
SPAIN - Banesto Enisa Sepi Desarrollo invests in Global Events ID
Madrid-based private equity firm Banesto Enisa Sepi Desarrollo has acquired 25% of event organiser Global Events ID Corporation.
UK - Dunedin backs £16m MBO of Fernau Avionics
Dunedin has backed the £16m management buyout of navigational equipment manufacturer Fernau Avionics from Canadian-based Glendale International Corp. Dunedin invested £8m in return for a majority stake in the newco.
UK - 3i set to profit further from NCP Services exit
Three months after selling the car park arm of NCP, 3i is to see further realisations from the divestment of NCP Services. Macquarie Infrastructure acquired NCP Car Parks in March 2007 in a £790m transaction generating returns of 3x for 3i. 3i is now...
SWITZERLAND - Capvis exits ETAVIS
Capvis has sold the ETAVIS Group to the French Vinci Group for an undisclosed amount. The strategic buyer is acquiring a 95% stake in ETAVIS, while the management retains a 5% holding.
UK - Exponent portfolio company Trainline makes £18.7m acquisition
Exponent Private Equity portfolio company Trainline, an online retailer of train tickets, has acquired Advanced Smartcard Technologies Plc (AST). The public-to-private deal values the share capital of AST at £18.7m. AST was founded in 2000 and listed...
NL - Alta Partners leads EUR 15m round for biotechnology company
Alta Partners has led a EUR 15m funding round for Groningen-based Kiadis Pharma B.V. Existing investors also participated in the deal, amongst those was Esprit Capital Partners, investing a further EUR 0.5m from the Esprit-run Prelude Trust Plc.
BULGARIA - GED acquires FAMA
Spanish private equity management company GED has acquired Bulgarian dairy company FAMA. The transaction value has not been disclosed. GED has is to incorporate a new management team including Julio Muñoz, the former general manager of the Spanish dairy...
FRANCE - Bluekiwi Software receives EUR 4m from Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners has invested EUR 4m in Blukiwi Software, a developer of collaborative software solutions for corporate environments.
GERMANY - BayBG backs Via Optronics
BayBG has invested EUR 500,000 in LCD display manufacturer VIA Optronics. Part of the amount invested is carried out in the form of a 'stille Beteiligung'. The funding will be used to expand the company's production facilities and grow internationally.
UK - Oxford Capital Partners provides waste-to-energy project with £2.5m
Oxford Capital Partners has provided Inetec Ltd with a follow-on funding round worth £2.5m. Inetec is a developer of waste-to-renewable-energy projects in the industrial food manufacturing sector. Existing investors Finance Wales and other new investors...
FRANCE - CAPE backs MBI of Ocean
LCL Régions Développement, a fund managed by Crédit Agricole Private Equity (CAPE), has acquired a minority interest in Ocean on the occasion of the buyout of the company by two incoming entrepreneurs.
UK - Promethean Investments acquires traded endowment policies business
Promethean Investments has acquired a 51% shareholding in TIS Group and a 51% shareholding in Protection Distribution Ltd (PDL). The financial buyer has invested £10m in cash and £40m in debt from its Promethean Investments Fund LP to facilitate the...
UK - Finance South West backs DT Media
YFM-managed Finance South West has invested a substantial sum in software company DT Media. DT Media has just won a major contract to supply the German Air Force with military training software to reduce the risk of ‘friendly fire’. Finance South...
UK - YFM invests £200,000 in The Alternative Energy Company
The Yorkshire and Humber Equity Fund, managed by YFM Group, has invested £200,000 expansion capital in energy equipment supplier and installer, The Alternative Energy Company Ltd. The funding round was boosted by a £50,000 investment from a business...
UK - Sovereign continues Kinetics buy-and-build
Sovereign Capital-owned social housing services company Kinetics Group has acquired TA Horn Holdings, taking group revenues to £80m. The deal represents the third acquisition as part of Sovereign's buy-and-build strategy for Kinetics Group. TA Horn is...
SPAIN - Codere plans IPO, but will consider options
Gambling business Codere has finally decided to approve its flotation, forecast to happen in the next few weeks. However, the company is said to be in talks with a group of private equity firms and will consider to remain private instead. Another option...