Deals
SWEDEN - Carlyle and Providence to acquire Swedish cable operation
Liberty Global has announced that it has reached an agreement to sell 100% of its Swedish cable business, UPC Sverige AB to a consortium comprising The Carlyle Group (“Carlyle”) and Providence Equity Partners.
UK - Barclays Ventures supports 99p stores expansion
99p Stores Ltd, a leading UK single price point value retailer, has announced that it plans to open up to 45 new stores throughout the UK in the next 20 months, doubling its present number of outlets. Barclays Ventures, together with other shareholders...
UK - Hg completes acquisition of Paragon Healthcare Group
HgCapital has acquired Paragon Healthcare Group from Duke Street Capital in a ТЃ322m buyout.
FRANCE - Siparex and Avenir Entreprises back IT provider
Avenir Entreprises Gestion and Siparex, through its Rhônes-Alpes PME Gestion fund, have backed a first round of funding in CISA Informatique. The investors have injected EUR 770,000 each in the newco, Amilcar Developpement.
FRANCE - Alpha's fifth fund acquires Mecatherm
Alpha Private Equity Fund 5 has announced its first investment since it closed on EUR 750m in February 2006. The fund has acquired Mecatherm from Astorg Partners, 21 Centrale Partners and Cogepa, alongside its management team. APEF 5 will hold a majority...
UK - Matrix backs MBO of VSI Ltd
VSI Ltd, a group specialising in developing and marketing 3D software, has been sold by its founder shareholders to the management team in a ТЃ6m MBO. Matrix Private Equity Partners invested ТЃ1.9m with the remaining funds comprising cash and roll-over...
SWEDEN - CapMan invests in Swedish fashion retail chain MQ
CapMan funds will acquire the majority holding in Swedish fashion retail chain MQ.
UK - LDC backs St Tropez
St Tropez, the self tanning brand, has received funding from LDC in order to capitalise on the huge global demand for self tanning products.
GERMANY / UK - Wellington Partners back Zopa in further round
Wellington Partners has provided $15m to UK-based Zopa Ltd in a second round of financing. The group was initially part of a first round financial consortium including Benchmark Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners.
SWEDEN - 21 Grams raises SEK 20m from InnovationsKapital
21 Grams, a provider of postal management services, has announced that it has raised a SEK 20m round of financing from InnovationsKapital.
UK - Hermes acquires Mayfair Gaming
Hermes Private Equity has acquired Mayfair Gaming, a bingo operator with eight clubs across the UK, from Risk Capital Partners.
UK - Workplace health and safety innovator wins investment from The Capital Fund
Optima Diagnostics, the fast-growing supplier of user-friendly web-based health and safety management tools, has attracted ТЃ275,000 of funding, in a round led by The Capital Fund, a ТЃ50m venture capital fund that invests in fast-growth companies in...
ROMANIA - Advent sells Terapia for $324m
Advent International has sold its 96.7% stake in Terapia S.A., Romania’s leading generic pharmaceuticals manufacturer, to Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited for $324m.
SWEDEN - FSN Capital buys Alignment Systems
FSN Capital has agreed to buy Alignment Systems AB from 3i Group Plc and funds advised by Euroventures Management AB, including AP6.
PORTUGAL - Explorer Investments and MCH acquire Nutricafés
According to reports in the Spanish press, the Portuguese private equity firm Explorer Investments and the Spanish group MCH Private Equity have acquired 100% of Nutricafés. The group was purchased from Caixa Geral de Depósitos and Sumolis, which bought...
UK - CVM invests £3.5m in Blackbay Ltd
Close Venture Management Ltd has announced an investment of ТЃ3.5m in Blackbay Ltd. Blackbay provides real-time mobile worker solutions that enable business process improvements to Supply Chain and Field Service mission critical operations.
UK - Montagu Private Equity acquires Misys General Insurance for £182m
Montagu Private Equity has signed an agreement to acquire Misys General Insurance for ТЃ182m. MGI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Misys Plc, a global business providing specialised software applications to the healthcare and banking industries. Final...
SWITZERLAND - Capvis acquires stake in Stadler Rail Group
Capvis has acquired a 20% stake in railway machinery producer Stadler Rail Group. The current owner, CEO Peter Spuhler reached the decision to form a partnership with Capvis when looking for an equity partner to broaden the company's shareholder base....
UK - Bridges Community Ventures backs Smart Storage
Bridges Community Ventures has announced its investment in Smart Storage, a Wirral-based business providing self-storage facilities for a mix of domestic and commercial customers.
UK - HgCapital to acquire First Technology Safety & Analysis
HgCapital has entered into agreement with Honeywell to acquire First Technology Safety & Analysis. The deal will value the market leader in crash test dummies and associated services at ТЃ50m.
UK - Further investment for Imperial College spin-out deltaDOT
Imperial Innovations, the technology commercialisation company of Imperial College London, has completed a ТЃ1m investment in spin-out company, deltaDOT, a developer of innovative enabling technologies and products for bioscience research. The investment...
GERMANY - Dr Neuhaus Techno Nord exits EUTEX holding
Following the listing of EUTEX on the Entry Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in December 2005, Dr Neuhaus Techno Nord has exited its remaining stake in the company. The strategic investor is an undisclosed Russian company operating in the field...
FRANCE – Ventech and DN Capital back Babinet's new venture
Eyeka has completed a EUR 4m series-A round of funding just months after being founded. Paris-based Ventech has injected EUR 2.56m, while London-based DN Capital has provided the remaining EUR 1.44m. Eyeka is a provider of mobile video and image service...
UK - Bank of Scotland backs £119.5m acquisition of Adare Group
Adare Group, a leading UK print management, mailing and packaging solutions company, has announced that a team of seven current directors, led by Robert Whiteside, has acquired the business with the backing of Bank of Scotland Corporate.