Deals
Graphite Capital acquires Wonderbly
Personalised children's books publisher is the seventh deal from Graphite's 2018-vintage ninth fund
Mega-rounds fuel record H1 for venture and growth
Largest rounds inked in the first six months of 2021 read like a veritable Who's Who of European fintech heavyweights
Trilantic invests in Smile Eyes
Trilantic intends to pursue a buy-and-build strategy for the German ophthalmology clinic chain
Alpha Private Equity sells Vertbaudet to Equistone
SBO of the children's clothing and accessories retailer is Equistone's sixth platform deal of 2021
The Deals Pipeline
A highlight of deal processes underway and involving PE, either on the buy- or sell-side, across Europe
Bayer ESP eyed by Bain, Cinven ahead of post-summer sale launch
Bayer could expect to fetch in excess of EUR 2bn for ESP, two sources say
IGI to assess strategic options for Nuovaplast
Manufacturer of PET preforms Nuovaplast attracted unsolicited approaches by European industry players
Apax advised by UBS on Wehkamp exit
Dutch online warehouse Wehkamp is expected to come to market in H2 2021
Palamon exits Feelunique in GBP 132m sale to Sephora
Palamon acquired the UK-headquartered online beauty products retailer for GBP 26m in 2012
PE buy-side appetite further boosts exit options for sponsors
Secondary buyouts accounted for nearly a third of all PE exits in the first half of 2021, compared with typical levels of 20-25%
EQT explores strategic options for Banking Circle
Options include a private sale and a merger with a blank-cheque company, as well as a listing via IPO
KKR readies German auto parts maker Tekfor for September sale
KKR attempted to exit Tekfor around two years ago in a sale process that was ultimately inconclusive
Ardian buys stake in Nova Reperta
Investment in the management consultancy is Ardian Growth's first investment in Belgium
De Cecco attracts interest from ProA Capital, denies talks
Private equity firm is keen on acquiring a minority interest in the pasta maker, sources say
A&M Capital Europe buys Pet Network for EUR 260m
Pet Network was created by TRG in 2018 through the acquisition and merger of three businesses
FPE invests in employee benefits software Zest
Deal is the 10th platform investment from FPE's GBP 100m, 2016-vintage, second fund
Palatine sells Wren Sterling in Lightyear-backed MBO
Wren Sterling was created in 2015 through the Palatine-backed MBO of Towergate Financial
New French GP Aldebaran holds first close for debut fund
Aldebaran Transformation Fund I targets EUR 300m for complex buyout situations
EQT's Cerba buys Lifebrain from Investindustrial
Parties agreed on a price of more than EUR 1bn, with exclusivity awarded last week
Keensight exits Asti Mobile Robotics to trade
GP bought a stake in the autonomous mobile robots developer in 2019 via its 2014-vintage fourth fund
Investindustrial's Lifebrain nears sale to Cerba HealthCare
Parties are in final-stage talks, with signing set to take place in the next couple of days
BC sells Pharmathen to Partners Group in EUR 1.6bn deal
BC Partners acquired the Greece-headquartered generic pharmaceuticals developer in 2015 for EUR 475m
Equistone acquires GSCM Group
GP has previous experience in the modular construction sector with Oikos Group
IK buys Blanchon from Abénex
First investment made from IK Small Cap III Fund, which closed in April 2021 on EUR 1.2bn