Deals
ECI sparks Harvard Engineering deal
ECI Partners has acquired a minority stake in Harvard Engineering, a developer of control systems for the lighting industry.
Mobeus and Connection toast Virgin Wines deal
Mobeus Equity Partners and Connection Capital have invested a combined ТЃ15.9m of debt and equity to support the management buyout of Virgin Wines.
DFJ Esprit's Oxford Immunotec to float
Oxford Immunotec Global, a UK-based medical diagnostics company, has filed with the US Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an IPO on the Nasdaq that would value the company at up to $245.4m.
Graphite sells Park Holidays to Caledonia for £172m
Graphite Capital has sold caravan park operator Park Holidays UK to listed trust Caledonia Investments for ТЃ172m.
Octopus leads £700,000 seed round for UniPlaces
Octopus Investments has backed student accommodation booking platform UniPlaces in a ТЃ700,000 seed funding round.
Segulah's CCS Healthcare acquires Propyless
Segulah portfolio company CCS Healthcare has agreed to acquire pharmaceutical skin care brand Propyless from Merck Sharp & Dohme.
Bridges backs budget hotel Qbic
Bridges Ventures has backed budget boutique hotel Qbic London City Hotel via its Bridges Sustainable Growth Fund III.
Moncler divests sportswear business to Emerisque
PE-backed Moncler has sold Industries Sportswear Company to Emerisque Brands UK's Cavaliere Brands.
KKR to reap up to €564m in Tarkett IPO
French flooring and sports surface maker Tarkett, backed by KKR, has set an indicative price range of €27.75-33.90 for its upcoming IPO on the NYSE Euronext Paris.
PE-backed GTS goes to Deutsche Telekom for €546m
Deutsche Telekom has bought GTS Central Europe, a telecommunications company backed by a consortium of private equity firms including Bessemer Venture Partners and Oak Investment Partners, for €546m.
Equistone makes 2.5x on sale of Allied Glass to CBPE
Equistone Partners Europe has sold Allied Glass back to previous owner CBPE Capital in a deal understood to be worth between ТЃ120-130m, generating a money multiple in excess of 2.5x.
Gimv leads €8.5m round for Itineris
Gimv and PMV have invested €8.5m in Belgian software company Itineris, alongside the company’s founder and CEO.
Numericable raises €652m in IPO
Cinven- and Carlyle-backed Numericable has made its debut on the NYSE Euronext Paris with a €3bn market cap.
European private equity activity drops to 2005 lows
Findings from the latest unquote” Private Equity Barometer, published in association with SL Capital Partners, reveal a worrying drop in deal volumes, falling to the same level as Q4 2005.
BGF injects £2.5m into Sub10
The Business Growth Fund (BGF) has invested ТЃ2.5m in Devon-based Sub10 Systems.
Seraphim backs Aria
Seraphim Capital has led a $4m funding round for UK-based Aria Networks alongside the UK governmentтs Capital for Enterprise fund.
Ardian provides unitranche for Européenne des Desserts buyout
Ardian (formerly Axa Private Equity) has arranged a €70m unitranche facility to finance Equistone's buyout of Européenne des Desserts from Azulis Capital and Céréa Partenaire.
DirectPhotonics raises €3.3m in second venture round
Deutsche Effecten- und Wechsel-Beteiligungsgesellschaft (DEWB), Falk Strascheg Holding and IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft (IBB) have backed laser solutions provider DirectPhotonics Industries with €3.3m.
Bencis to take Xeikon private
Bencis Capital Partners has made a mandatory public offer to acquire all issued shares of Xeikon for €5.85 per share, giving the company an enterprise value of €168m.
Via Venture Partners in Procom MBO
Via Venture Partners has invested in Danish wireless communication business Procom alongside the company's management.
Penta's GRP receives £55m
Global Risk Partners (GRP), backed by Penta Capital, has received ТЃ55m in funding to launch as a London market consolidator.
Italian-German start-up Wise raises €1m
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Atlante Seed, b-to-v Partners and Agite have backed medical devices company Wiringless Implantable Stretchable Electronics (Wise) in a €1m seed round.
Babson Capital provides mezz for Teachers' Busy Bees
Babson Capital Europe has provided a mezzanine facility to support the ТЃ220m acquisition of UK nursery chain Busy Bees by Teachersт Private Capital last week.
CGS Management sells Schöttli to Husky
CGS has sold injection mould maker Schöttli to injection moulding equipment manufacturer Husky Injection Molding System.