Deals
ITALY - Hutton completes EUR 45m Aquafil funding
Hutton Collins has invested EUR 45m into flooring specialist Aquafil, with the current owner, the Bonazzi Group, retaining majority control.
FRANCE - Siparex and FCPR lead EUR 6.5m Labellemontagne investment
Siparex and FCPR CERAE, the private equity arm of the Caisse d'Epargne Rhone-Alpes, have led a EUR 6.5m investment into ski station operator Labellemontage.
NETHERLANDS - Mentha and BNP inject $10m into Anteryon
New investor Mentha Capital and existing backer BNP Paribas Private Equity have invested $10m into optics specialist Anteryon.
FRANCE - Apax-backed Financière Hélios granted further sauvegarde protection
Apax Partners-backed Financière Hélios, a holding vehicle that controls 43% of engineering company Séchilienne-Sidec, has been granted another month of protection by the Parisian courts under the 'sauvegarde' procedure.
GERMANY - HBM reaps 22x return on Brahms sale
HBM Partners has sold biotechnology company Brahms to listed trade buyer Thermo Fisher Scientific, in an all-cash deal that values the business at EUR 330m and generates a return of close to 22x money.
UK - General Atlantic decreases interest in Xchanging plc
Private equity firm General Atlantic has reduced its stake in its listed portfolio company Xchanging plc, a provider of business processing services, to less than 10%.
UK - Spectrum Equity invests in Business Monitor International
US-based Spectrum Equity Investors has invested in research company Business Monitor International (BMI).
UK - Bridges Ventures exits Insurance Dialogue
Bridges Ventures has sold portfolio brokerage company Insurance Dialogue to trade buyer Equity Insurance Group for an undisclosed sum.
FRANCE - Blackstone and Lion Capital to sell Orangina
Blackstone and Lion Capital have announced that they are in discussions with Japanese drinks company Suntory regarding the sale of soft drinks producer Orangina Schweppes.
ITALY - Bridgepoint interested in Sia-Ssb
It is understood that European private equity firm Bridgepoint is preparing an offer for card processing business Sia-Ssb, which has been on the block since Autumn 2008.
UK - RCapital backs acquisition of Helena assets
Turnaround specialist RCapital has backed the company voluntary agreement (CVA) of troubled nightclub operator Helena Leisure Group.
SWITZERLAND - Novartis-backed Evolva acquires Arpida; prepares listing
Swiss biotechnology company Evolva, which is backed by a venture capital consortium including Novartis Venture, Aravis, Sunstone Capital and Dansk Innovationsinvestering, has acquired listed rival Arpida. The combined entity is to seek a listing on the...
ITALY - Crédit Agricole PE backs EUR 5m Elettrostudio funding
Crédit Agricole Private Equity, FCPR Capenergie fund, has backed an investment of EUR 5m into energy specialist Elettrostudio Energia.
UK - Synova Capital acquires ClearWater Care
Mid-market investor Synova Capital has acquired specialist care provider Clearwater Care for an undisclosed sum.
FRANCE - EPF invests EUR 8m into EMG
EPF Partners has invested EUR 8m into online marketing company Etoile Media Group, taking a minority share in the company. The transaction was supported by debt provided by Société Générale and HSBC.
NETHERLANDS - Forbion and LSP lead EUR 9.5m arGEN-X investment
Forbion Capital Partners and Life Science Partners (LSP) have co-led a EUR 9.5m series-A funding round for biopharmaceutical firm arGEN-X, alongside KBC Private Equity, BioGeneration Ventures and existing shareholders Erasmus MC Biomedical Fund and Thuja...
SPAIN - Investindustrial acquires 50% stake in PortAventura
Investindustrial has acquired a 50% stake in theme park PortAventura from Criteria CaixaCorp, a Spanish listed vehicle controlled by savings bank La Caixa, via a EUR 95m capital increase.
HUNGARY - Permira's BorsodChem eyed by Chinese chemical group
It is understood that Wanhua Industrial Group is in talks with Permira's BorsodChem to take an equity stake in the Hungarian business. According to reports, the Chinese chemical group has already acquired EUR 200m of the company's mezzanine debt from...
UK - Mid-Ocean exits Europackaging in pre-pack
Mid-Ocean Partners' Europackaging has been bought back by former owners the Majid family in a pre-pack administration agreement for an undisclosed sum.
NORWAY - Investinor invests NOK 17.5m in OCAS for 9.6% stake
Norwegian state-owned venture fund Investinor has participiated in a share issue for Obstacle Collision Avoidance System (OCAS), investing NOK 17.5m for a 9.6% stake. Other investors include BKK, Follum Invest, Grande Ventures, START-Fondet, Teknoinvest...
GERMANY - DuMont and Tiburon lead stream5 funding
DuMont Venture and seed investor Tiburon Partners have led an undisclosed seven figure funding round for online video technology company stream5, alongside KfW and business angel Klaus Wecken.
GERMANY - IBB joins Affinitas GmbH backers
IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft invested in Affinitas, operator of the online dating portal edarling, in a second closing of the business' first funding round. The first closing included investments from Holtzbrinck Ventures and Rocket Internet GmbH.
FRANCE - Serena Capital purchases 30% of Selectron
Serena Capital has completed its first LBO deal with the acquisition of a 30% stake of Selectron, a company focused on train applications, from Schneider Electric.
SWITZERLAND - Zurmont Madison’s CLS acquires Lexi-tech
Zurmont Madison Private Equity portfolio company CLS Communication, a provider of linguistic communication services, has aquired Canadian sector player Lexi-tech International.