Deals
UK - HgCapital acquires SHL
HgCapital has acquired SHL, a psychometric testing and assessment company with clients that include Abbey National, Marks & Spencer and Tesco.
UK - Och-Ziff Capital backs take-private of Whitehead Mann
City executive recruitment firm, Whitehead Mann has been acquired by Och-Ziff Capital Management in association with Palladian Investments, an investment vehicle owned by Piers Marmion.
UK - Blackstone only bidder left in final stages of auction for United Biscuits
Blackstone is the only contender left in the £1.7bn auction to acquire United Biscuits (UB), the foods company owned by Cinven, PAI and MidOcean Partners, after Premier Foods was forced to pull out as it could not raise the cash. The blow to the Premier...
SPAIN - Nazca buys El Derecho Editores
According to press reports, Nazca has agreed to buy El Derecho Editores, a company that specialises in online and offline legal information services, from its founders and management team. The purchase, expected to complete before the end of this year,...
FRANCE/ITALY - AXA Private Equity backs purchase of Guaber Household
AXA Private Equity has recently backed the purchase of a 100% stake in Guaber Household. Spotless Group, the holding of French business Eau Ecarlate and owned by its management and AXA, wholly acquired the Italian household cleaning products arm of Guaber...
UK - Octopus Investments acquires Golddigga for £18.5m
The Golddigga fashion brand has been acquired in an £18.5m buyout by its management team and Octopus Investments. Octopus led and arranged the deal, introducing buy-in candidate Daniel Morris who joined the company in June as CEO. The founder and vendor,...
FRANCE - UFG Private Equity invests in 3-in-1 laundry machine
UFG Private Equity has invested EUR 1.2m in Robotran, the developer of a new laundry machine for public launderettes.
UK - Listing of Hogg Robinson at between 140p and 220p a share
Permira is set to list Hogg Robinson, the business travel management company it has held since 2000. It is reported that it has set a price range for shares of between 140p and 220p.
UK - Cinven gains access to Gondola's books
The largest listed restaurant company in the UK, Gondola, has allowed Cinven access to its books. Cinven made a takeover approach to the owner of Pizza Express, ASK and Zizzi late last week and is considering making it a formal offer of 415p a share.
UK - LDC backs commercial mortgage lender with £27m investment
Commercial First, the specialist commercial mortgage lender, has secured the backing of private equity firm LDC to help grow the business ahead of a possible stock market flotation. Established in 2002 by financial industry experts Marty Finegold and...
UK - The Capital Fund invests £250,000 in Local Data Company
The Local Data Company, which operates the UK’s most accurate database of in-depth information on UK city centre retail businesses and other urban points of interest, has raised £250,000 from The Capital Fund. The company’s management team will use...
SPAIN - 3i divests stake in Kider
3i and minority shareholders have agreed to sell their combined stake of 47.4% in Kider to Caja Navarra for EUR 33.3m. The remaining stake will be held by the company’s management. The deal is part of the bank’s EUR 353m investment strategy, which...
UK - Advent International exits Financial Dynamics
Financial Dynamics (FD), the business and financial communications consulting firm has been acquired by FT Consulting, Inc, a consulting and technology service provider to major corporations for £137m. The transaction represents an exit for Advent International...
FRANCE - Cinven, Carlyle and APAX sell MediMedia for EUR 489.3m
The Cinven-led consortium of investors which had acquired Vivendi Universal Publishing in April 2002 has sold its medical publications subsidiary MediMedia USA to Vestar Capital, for an entreprise value of EUR 489.3m.
FRANCE - Oxxius receives $10m in second round
Sofinnova Partners has led the $10m second round of funding for the manufacturer of ultracompact lasers, Oxxius. The other contributors in this funding were AXA Private Equity and US-based Sofinnova Ventures.
UK - Finance Wales participates in £5m funding round for TES Aviations
Finance Wales has reached its 1,000th deal with an expansion capital investment into TES Aviation. A funding package of more than £5m was supported by international financiers, the company itself and by Finance Wales, the organisation created by the...
FRANCE - Investors make 2x on Swapcom sale
Iris Capital's Part'Com, Spef Venture, Banque de Vizille and Sudinnova have generated a 2x money multiple on the sale of their entire interest in French mobile solutions developer Swapcom to a subsidiary of Swisscom.
FRANCE - Alpha and Apax make major loss on Créatifs sale
Sources close to the deal have confirmed that Alpha Associés Conseil and Apax Partners have sold Créatifs to Developpement & Partenariat and Prado Finance, for EUR 500,000. The buyout houses had originally bought the conference visual designer in a...
FRANCE - AXA Private Equity buys Eliokem for about EUR 130m
French buyout house AXA Private Equity has announced its acquisition of a majority stake in former Goodyear Tire spin-off Eliokem for about EUR 130m.
FRANCE - Dailymotion receives EUR 7m
It is understood that French internet video sharing website Dailymotion has received EUR 7m of investments from Partech international and Atlas Ventures.
UK - 3i offloads portfolio of 10 mid-market buyout investments
Saints Capital, in partnership with Lexington Partners and Fortress Investment Group, announced that it has acquired a portfolio of 10 mid-market buyout investments from 3i. The transaction involved privately held industrial companies all based in the...
UK - Permira Funds acquire Principal Hotels
Permira has announced the acquisition of Principal Hotels from Royal Bank of Scotland by Permira Funds.
NL- Waterland sells Harting-Bank to NPM Capital
Waterland Private Equity Investments has sold its stake in Harting-Bank, a leading Dutch supplier of mobility aids and care provider, to NPM Capital. No financial details have been disclosed.
FRANCE - 3i backs the LBO of Selective Beauty
3i has announced it has invested EUR 50m of equity to acquire a 45% stake in perfumes and cosmetics distributor Selective Beauty.