Deals
UK - Royal Bank of Scotland takes equity stake in £17.5m buyout of Monitor Audio
Royal Bank of Scotland has taken an equity stake in audio hi-fi and home cinema company Monitor Audio (Holdings) Ltd. The company, an existing customer of the bank has undergone a £17.5m management buyout to which RBS has supplied a complete equity,...
UK - KKR higher offer prompts opening of Boots' books
KKR has raised its bid for Alliance Boots prompting the UK chemist and retail chain to open its books. The US-private equity firm bidding in league with the deputy chairman of Boots has offered 1,040p per share, a 4% lift on the 1,000p takeover bid it...
SWEDEN - Investor Growth Capital invests $14m in Tobii Technology
Investor Growth Capital has completed a $14m round of venture capital funding in Tobii Technology . The investment will be used to accelerate the company's rapid growth, enhance product development and expand global sales and marketing efforts.
UK - Kaupthing/Tchenguiz trump Blackstone La Tasca offer
Kaupthing Pricipal Investments has teamed up with Robert Tchenguiz to launch a rival bid for AIM-listed restaurant chain La Tasca. Earlier this week, Blackstone through its Tragus portfolio company offered £96m for La Tasca. Tragus is the name behind...
NORWAY - emgs IPO at NOK 135 per share
ElectroMagnetic GeoServices (emgs) has priced its IPO at NOK 135 per share, and will start to trade today. The price is at the top of the revised price range of NOK 125-135 per share. There has been strong interest in the market, resulting in the offering...
GERMANY - HgCapital exits Hirschmann Car Communication
HgCapital has sold European automotive supplier Hirschmann Car Communication GmbH to its management for an undisclosed amount.
UK - Blackstone's Tragus in £96m bid for La Tasca
Restaurant Group Tragus, owned by Blackstone, has launched a £96m cash offer for AIM-listed La Tasca, the owner of 70 Spanish themed restuarants in the UK.
UK - Newly launched Mercia Technology Seed Fund completes first deal
The Mercia Technology Seed Fund, launched last week, has completed its first investment. Intelligent Orthopaedics, a medical engineering company has received just under £250,000 of syndicate funding from Mercia, SMIF and private investors. This second...
UK - Advantage Capital invests in Butters Group
Advantage Capital has just completed an investment in Butters Group, a supplier of house and garden plants retailers in the UK.
ITALY - Aletti acquires furniture business from Absolute
Aletti Private Equity has acquired a 70% shareholding in furniture business Arketipo from Absolute Ventures in a SBO worth around EUR 20m.
GERMANY - Odewald & Compagnie acquires IWKA Packaging
The board of the IWKA group has decided by seven votes to five, to sell its packaging division to Odewald & compagnie for EUR 255m. The outcome had been expected although the worker’s union had preferred Italian strategic investors Coesia.
SPAIN - TPG to offer EUR 4bn for Iberia
Texas Pacific Group (TPG) is said to be considering a EUR 4bn bid for Spanish carrier Iberia. However, if the offer goes ahead TPG may face competition from exisiting shareholders Lufthansa and British Airways; the latter is said to be preparing for a...
UK - Just Retirement share sale nets £82.6m for Langholm
Langholm Capital has sold an additional 30 million shares in UK life assurance group Just Retirement, netting the investor £82.6m The 275p price per share represents a significant premium on the initial placement of shares at 148p in November last year.
UK - NVM acquires Promanex from Sovereign
NVM Private Equity (NVM) has invested £5m in the secondary management buyout of Midlands-based Promanex Group. The deal represents an exit for Sovereign Capital, which backed the company's first buyout in 1999.
AUSTRIA - UC4 Software acquires AppWorx
The Carlyle Group portfolio company UC4 Software GmbH has acquired software company AppWorx Corporations. The transaction value has not been disclosed but Carlyle provided UC4 with fresh capital to finance the acquisition. Following completion of the...
UK - Investcorp Technology Partners undertakes EUR 105m buyout of Moneybookers
Investcorp Technology Partners has undertaken the EUR 105m buyout of Moneybookers Ltd, a leading European online payment provider and the UK’s first FSA-licensed e-money issuer. As part of the transaction, Moneybookers’ existing shareholders will...
GERMANY - VITA 34 International floats on Prime Standard
SHS portfolio company Vita 34 has listed 600,000 new shares on the Prime Standard at an issue price of EUR 15 per share. Concord Effekten AG acted as the sole global coordinator with N M Fleischhacker AG being the underwriter.
SPAIN - Nazca to complete sale of tapas chain this week
Press reports suggest that private equity firm Nazca is to complete the sale Lizarrán Tapas Selectas, its tapas restaurant business, to sector player Comess Group this week, for approximately EUR 20m.
UK - Foresight Venture Partners invests £1.5m in BIMBO of TFC Europe
Foresight Venture Partners has invested £1.5m in the BIMBO of TFC Europe. The Heathfield-based business is a supplier and designer of injection-moulded technical fasteners and ring and spring products for the aerospace, automotive, hydraulics and petrochemical...
SPAIN - Mid-market frenzy for perfumery business
A pool of mid-market players is set to present offers for perfumery business Juteco this week. It is understood that Mercapital, 3i, Nmás1, MCH, Corpfin and Nazca are all competing for the company, worth approximately EUR 100m.
UK - Lime Rock backs $90m MBO of C&M Group
Lime Rock Partners has backed the management buyout of marine engineering company C&M Group and its subsequent acquisition of Ice Maiden, a Russian ice-breaker ship. The $90m deal included a debt package provided by Royal Bank of Scotland worth $60m.
NORWAY - Ferd Private Equity acquires Hatteland Display
Ferd Private Equity Fund II (FPEF II) has acquired 90% of the shares in the marine display and panel computer producer Hatteland Display, from Jakob Hatteland Holding and CEO Knut Vidar Lauritsen. Lauritsen will retain an ownership of 10% in the company.
UK - Finance Wales leads £600,000 funding round for opto-electronics company
Finance Wales has led a £600,000 funding round for opto-electronics company Trace Technologies Ltd. Trace Technology's new software Photonic Interconnect System Designer (PISD) will enable the time taken to fit fibre optic cabling into aircraft to be...
FINLAND - CapMan invests in Novitel
Funds managed by CapMan will invest in the Market Intelligence company Novintel and will acquire 3i Group’s stake in the company at the same time. The investment will be made to support the growth of the company’s international operations.