Deals

UK - Cinven offer for listed Pizza Express and ASK

Cinven has submitted its official offer for Gondola Holdings Plc, the name behind the Pizza Express and ASK restaurant chains through its acquisition vehicle Paternoster Acquisitions Ltd. The 415p per share offer values the share capital of Gondola at...

UK - ECI Partners invests £12m in M2 Digital

ECI Partners has invested £12m in M2 Digital, a fast-growing support services provider providing clients with innovative solutions for their document printing, copying and scanning requirements.

FRANCE - Photonic decontamination business receives EUR 1.2m

Emertec Energie Environnement, Expansinvest, Banque Populaire Création and SCR Provence et Corse have invested a total of EUR 1.2m in the first round of institutional funding in Claranor. Following the deal, the management retains a slight majority stake.

UK - First Reserve Corporation acquires Acteon Group Ltd

First Reserve Corporation has acquired a majority stake in Acteon Group Ltd. Acteon is a leading worldwide provider of specialised offshore and subsea services and equipment. The Company is active in the subsea service and construction market and offers...

UK - Och-Ziff's Whitehead Mann deal under threat

The proposed take-private of headhunting firm Whitehead Mann led by Och-Ziff is reported to be under threat from Jeremy Hosking. He has already built up a stake in the company through his vehicle Marathon Asset Management and apparently intends to augment...

UK - Interest in UK water companies continues

Anglia Water (AWG) which last week recommended a £2.2bn takeover offer from Osprey, a consortium including Colonial First State, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and 3i's infrastructure fund, may be the subject of another takeover bid. Reports suggest...

UK - Aurigo Management join Esporta auction

Esporta, the fitness-club chain held by Duke Street Capital, has reportedly received interest from the private equity vehicle of former Asda chairman, Archie Norman. His vehicle Aurigo Management will join leisure group Whitbread, owner of David Lloyd...

LATVIA - Darby Overseas Investments backs dairy

Darby Overseas Investments has made an EUR 8m investment in Rigas Piensaimniekes, a Latvian dairy products producer. The investment was made via Darby Converging Europe Mezzanine Fund (DCEMF) and is its first investment since it closed on 1 November 2005.

ITALY - BS Private Equity acquires 17.3% of IP Cleaning

BS Private Equity has signed a definitive agreement to pay EUR 7.1m for the 17.3% stake currently held by Interpump Group in IP Cleaning (IPC) through the holding company X-Equity SpA. In May 2005 BS Private Equity, Capitalia Sofipa SGR and the company's...

UK - Arcapita launches £1.62bn bid for Viridian Group Plc

London Stock Exchange-listed Viridian Group Plc has received a take-private offer from Arcapita Bank through its vehicle ElectricInvest. The bid offers 1,336p per share which represents a premium of 23% on the share price before Viridian announced it...

FRANCE - Open-Plug raises $15m from Baytech-led syndicate

Open-Plug has raised a $15m second round of institutional funding from a syndicate of investors led by Munich-based BayTech Venture Capital. Other investors included SGAM AI Private Equity and first round sponsors Auriga, I-Source Gestion, Siparex Ventures...

UK - Hogg Robinson float back on

Permira-backed Hogg Robinson is to be listed after all. The IPO was planned for last week but then pulled at the last minute due to uncertainty in the market.

SWITZERLAND - NGN Capital leads EUR 10m series-C for Santhera

Santhera Pharmaceuticals has raised EUR 10m in a series-C financing round, with the option of calling another EUR 5m. The oversubscribed funding round was led by NGN Capital, one of Santhera's largest current shareholders. New investors to the round include...