Deals
ITALY – Arca Imprese acquires 70% stake in clothing retailer
Arca Imprese has acquired a 70% stake in clothing retailer Finalba Store, with the remaining stake being held by the company’s founder Giancarlo Bassi, who will remain the company’s CEO.
ITALY – BS Private Equity sells 20% to Banca Leonardo
Gruppo Banca Leonardo has acquired a 20% stake in BS Private Equity (BSPE), with the option of acquiring the remaining stake in the future. BSPE will remain independent and will continue to be headed by its managing partners Antonio Perricone, Paolo Baretta...
ITALY – US private equity firms in Weather Investment talks
It is understood that Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris is in talks with three US private equity firms over the sale of a 10% stake in Italian holding company Weather Investments.
FRANCE – Abénex acquires stake in Réponse
Abénex Capital (formerly ABN AMRO Capital France) has acquired 56.5% of listed design and outfitting business Réponse at a price of EUR 9 per share. Following this purchase Abénex will launch a public takeover bid to acquire Réponse’s remaining shares...
SWEDEN - EQT acquires Valeo Engine Cooling
EQT Opportunity has acquired the heavy duty engine cooling division of Valeo, a French automotive group, for an undisclosed value.
FRANCE - XAnge Capital completes first exit
XAnge Capital has exited its 28% stake in software company A2iA, which it originally backed in March 2006 alongside Développement & Partenariat.
UK - NorthStar leads £1.5m funding round for Caspian Learning
NorthStar Equity Investors has led a ТЃ1.5m funding round for Caspian Learning, a supplier of 3D learning based games.
UK - Balderton exits Bebo
Balderton Capital has agreed to sell its stake in social networking site Bebo to AOL in a deal worth $850m.
FRANCE – Edmond de Rothschild CP acquires AJ Tech
Edmond de Rothschild Capital Partners has taken a majority stake in heat pumps manufacturer AJ Tech in an LBO transaction. Joël Amisse, the company’s founder, retains a significant stake in the company, while the deal also sees Roger Gubanski join the...
UK - Private Equity eyes Paperchase
HgCapital, ISIS Equity and Change Capital are said to be frontrunners in the competition to buy stationery chain Paperchase from bookseller Borders.
GERMANY - Equity Partners backs MBO of Nokia unit
Equity Partners GmbH has, together with the manager Razvan Olosu, signed an agreement to acquire Nokia's line fit automotive business for an undisclosed amount. The company will be held by newco novero GmbH.
DENMARK - Nordic Venture Partners completes DKK 235m ZYB sale
Nordic Venture Partners portfolio company ZYB, a Danish free mobile back-up and sharing service, has been sold to Vodafone for DKK 235m.
SWEDEN - CapMan buys Cederroth
CapMan Buyout VIII has acquired the majority of the shares in Cederroth, a Swedish manufacturer and distributor of consumer products, from American listed Alberto-Culver Company, for an undisclosed sum. CapMan Mezzanine IV supplied mezzanine to support...
FINLAND - ASI and Seed Fund Vera invest in Senseg
Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) and Seed Fund Vera have invested an undisclosed sum in Senseg, a Finnish developer of touch interface technology.
FRANCE –Ten purchase offers for LBO France-backed Cegelec
LBO France has reportedly seen around ten offers for portfolio electrical engineering company Cegelec. Potential trade buyers are said to include BTP, Vinci and Eiffage, while private equity firms rumoured to be interested include PAI, which holds a stake...
PORTUGAL – Esprírito Santo in EUR 5m financing of fibre-optics company
Esprírito Santo Ventures has led a EUR 5m series-B funding round for fibre-optic technology company Multiwave Photonics alongside existing investor Bullnet Capital.
GERMANY – Target Partners and BayTech lead USD 4.5m ChipVision funding
Target Partners and BayTech Venture Capital have led an internal USD 4.5m Series-B funding round for ChipVision Design Systems, a provider of low-power electronic design automation solutions.
UK - BankInvest puts $8m into CamSemi
BankInvest Group, through its New Energy Solutions VC fund, has supported semiconductor company CamSemi with $8m in an extension to its series-C round of funding.
UK - DLJ to acquire school holidays group
DLJ Merchant Banking, the private equity arm of Credit Suisse, is to acquire the Education & Adventure Travel Group, an organiser and manager of school holidays, from Bowmark Capital for around ТЃ100m according to reports.
ITALY – Stirling Square and Sirius to acquire sportswear firm
Stirling Square Capital Partners and Sirius Equity have announced the acquisition of sportswear company Jeckerson from Blue Fashion Group in a management buyout valued at EUR 140m.
SPAIN – Amadeus and GIMV back USD 12m Openbravo investment
Amadeus Capital Partners and Belgian venture capital firm GIMV have invested in a USD 12m funding round for software company Openbravo, alongside Spanish firm Adara Venture Partners.
NORWAY - Epi-V backs Petrotools with £4.5m
Epi-V has backed Stavanger-based Petrotools, a supplier of advanced well intervention tools to the oil industry, with £4.5m.
UK - Noble backs USD 5m Garlik investment
Noble Venture Finance has joined online identity expert Garlik's existing investors 3i and Doughty Hanson in a $5m investment in the company, designed to fund its expansion into the US market.
CEE – JPMorgan- and Deutsche Bank-backed Cadogan to float
According to sources, Ukrainian gas exploration and production company Cadogan Petroleum plans to raise £125m through a listing on the London Stock Exchange next month. The private equity funds of JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank are two of the company's investors....