Deals
GERMANY- Wilex to float mid-November
Munich-based biotechnology company Wilex is planning to float on the Frankfurt Prime Standard on 13 November. The listing, offering up to 4.6m shares, will be led by WestLB and Sal Oppenheim with an offer price to be announced on 6 November.
UK - 3i invests in Giraffe restaurant chain
3i has invested £10m for a minority stake in the fast growing, family friendly restaurant chain Giraffe, valuing the business at £24m.
NORWAY - Altor buys Helly Hansen
Altor Fund II is to acquire Norwegian Helly Hansen, a supplier of technical apparel and footwear, from Investcorp for an undisclosed sum.
SWITZERLAND - Santhera to list on Swiss Stock Exchange
Swiss speciality pharmaceuticals firm Santhera has announced that it will list up to 983,859 shares on the Swiss Stock Exchange. Assuming that the IPO is successful this will raise approximately SFr 83.6m-SFr 98.4m, excluding an over-allotment option....
FRANCE - KKR invests in French flooring products business
KKR has announced it has taken a 50% stake in SIF, the holding company which owns a majority of Tarkett, a flooring products business present in over 100 countries.
UK - YFM invests £1.2m in Blackburn-based manufacturer
YFM Private Equity has invested in specialist manufacturer and supplier of educational and height adjustable furniture, Vari-Tech Ltd. The £1.2m total funding round also included contributions from the Northwest Regional Development Agency.
UK - Hedge fund Boussard & Gavaudan takes stake in Gondola
Boussard & Gavaudan, a hedge fund with a track record of activism, is believed to have built up a 20% stake in Gondola Holdings, the restaurant operator which is the subject of a £560m take-private bid from Cinven.
UK - London Seed Capital leads £500,000 investment in Chameleon BioSurfaces
Chameleon BioSurfaces, the polymer coatings company has secured £500,000 of seed funding in an investment round led by London Seed Capital in conjunction with the London Business Angel Network and the London Business Angel EIS Tracker Fund III. Other...
FRANCE - AXA Private Equity takes majority stake in Gerflor
AXA has announced it has signed an agreement to take a majority stake in vinyl flooring business Gerflor. This tertiary buyout sees the exit of PAI partners and CDC Entreprises, and a renewed comittment from Natexis industrie and ICG, who re-invest in...
UK - Bridgepoint to exit Tilney?
Market sources suggest that Deutsche Bank is in talks with asset management company Tilney. Tilney was acquired by Bridgepoint in 2005 in a deal thought to be worth approximately £100m.
GERMANY – 3i floats Nanogate
Europe's largest listed private equity firm, 3i, has successfully floated Nanogate AG on the Entry Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. 3i first invested in Nanogate in 1998, when it backed the spin-off from the University of Saarbrücken.
SPAIN - Qualitas backs acquisition of Garnica Plywood
Private equity house Qualitas Equity Partners has acquired the entire shareholding in plywood distributor Garnica Plywood alongside its management team in a deal of undisclosed value. The growth route for the La Rioja-based company encompasses the acquisition...
GERMANY – $10m second round for spodradio
Baytech Venture Capital and Benchmark Capital Europe have invested $10m in a Series-B funding of spodradio. Munich-based Baytech had previously invested $2.4m in a Series-A funding in 2005.
SPAIN - Avanza attracts private equity interest
Several private equity firms and industrial players are interested in acquiring transport group Avanza. It is rumoured that Dougthy Hanson, Advent International and Apax Partners are among the possible private equity bidders. One of the prospective purchasers...
UK - Hotbed backs consumer website Pigsback.com with £2.5m investment
Pigsback.com, the consumer website that is fast becoming a favourite for online marketing and advertising amongst leading brands, has received a £2.5m investment from Hotbed, the private investor network. 48 members of Hotbed invested in Pigsback.com,...
UK - ABN AMRO Capital exits Page Group Ltd
Page Group Ltd, the company which designs and manufactures aerospace lighting and cockpit controls, has been acquired by Hamilton Sundstrand, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation. The deal, the details of which are not disclosed, represents...
UK - Lyceum Capital-backed Clinovia makes fourth acquisition this year
Clinovia, an independent home healthcare provider backed by Lyceum Capital, has acquired CCS Blackpool. The purchase of CCS Blackpool, a care agency specialising in providing quality community support services to individuals in their own homes, is Clinovia’s...
UK - FTSE 250 Informa in talks with Candover and Cinven
Informa Plc, the FTSE 250 company which provides specialist information and services for the academic and scientific, professional and commercial business communities, is in talks with Candover and Cinven about going private. The deal would see Informa...
ITALY - SG Capital buys majority stake in Co.Import
SG Capital Europe has agreed to purchase 80% of Co.Import, a retailer of accessories and small home furnishings, from its founding family for EUR 15m. The management is reportedly reinvesting EUR 3m for the remaining stake. Co.Import owns a network of...
SPAIN - All eyes on Mercapital's Occidental Hoteles
Press reports suggest that Mercapital is in advanced negotiations to finally sell its 29.5% shareholding in Occidental Hoteles. The chains Barceló, Sol Meliá and NH Hoteles have already submitted offers and the deal is likely to be completed before...
UK - Promethean portfolio company DLG makes acquisition
Promethean portfolio company Data Locator Group (DLG) has acquired the business and assets of Wegener DM Group Plc (WDM) from the listed media group Koninklijke Wegener NV. WDM has created a database on UK consumers and their lifestyles and collects the...
UK - Merseyside Special Investment Fund backs SLR Technology Solutions
SLR Technology Solutions received almost £80,000 of funding from Merseyside Special Investment Fund to complete its proof of concept phase.
FINLAND - Benchmark Capital invests in online estate agency
Igglo Oy, the Finnish online estate agency, has raised EUR 12.5m in a funding round led by Benchmark Capital Europe and including co-founder of Igglo, the Taivas Group. The new capital will be used to accelerate Igglo’s expansion in Europe.
AUSTRIA - PONTIS Venture Partners leads financing round for Alumonte
Graz-based aluminium technology company Alumonte has received EUR 3.3m in a second financing round led by PONTIS Venture Partners. The Austria Wirtschafts Service and the Austrian Research Promotion Company(FFG) also participated in the deal.