Benelux
BELGIUM – AXA PE acquires Sfinc from Gimv
AXA Private Equity, alongside company management and Axxess Partners, has purchased a majority stake in Belgian food company Sfinc from Gimv.
NETHERLANDS - PE interested in Refresco BV
According to reports, Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander-backed Dutch fruit juice producer Refresco Holding BV is being circled by private equity firms.
NETHERLANDS - ACC-backed Baarsma acquires Swiss Rutishauser
AAC Capital Partners-backed Baarsma Wine Group, a wine distribution business, has acquired Swiss wine business Rutishauser Weinkellerei.
BELGIUM - Arkafund and Vinnof back Oxynade with EUR 1m
Venture capital firm Arkafund and Vinnof (Vlaamse Innovatiefonds), a provider of seed capital to innovative Flanders-based start-ups, have participated in a series A round of financing for internet start-up Oxynade, commiting a total of EUR 1m.
NETHERLANDS - IK exits Wehkamp
IK Investment Partners has sold Dutch online shopping site Wehkamp to a group of private investors for an undisclosed sum.
GLOBAL - PIP to raise £49.5m from issue of loan notes
Quoted private equity fund-of-funds Pantheon International Participations Plc (PIP), which is managed by Pantheon Ventures Ltd, has announced that it has entered into an agreement with institutional investors to raise up to £49.5m through the issue of...
GLOBAL - Allocation concerns dominate LPs
According to the latest Coller Capital Global Private Equity Barometer , produced in association with private equity consultancy IE Consulting, limited partners are increasingly concerned about their private equity allocation, with two-thirds of respondents...
EUROPE - Study reveals positive impact of private equity on employee relations
A new study, conducted by the Centre for Management Buyout Research (CMBOR) in association with the EVCA, has revealed that private equity ownership rarely harms employee relations and, in many cases, actually has a positive impact.
BELGIUM - NIBC takes minority stake in Electrawinds
NIBC has through European Infrastructure Fund aquired a minority stake in Belgian renewable energy player Electrawinds Biostoom NV. Electrawinds NV remains the majority shareholder.
EUROPE - Oaktree closes on EUR 1.6bn
US-headquartered investor group Oaktree Capital Management has closed OCM European Principal Opportunities Fund II LP, its second European fund dedicated to opportunistic private equity and distress-for-control investments, on around EUR 1.6bn.
UK/FRANCE - Apax sued over profit split
Apax Partners co-founder Maurice Tchenio is sueing the firm in a dispute over how profits and fees were split on deals in Europe since 2001.
EUROPE - CVC appoints new senior adviser
CVC Capital Partners has appointed Charles-Henri Filippi as senior adviser.
EUROPE - IPEV reaffirms commitment to fair value
At a press conference in London this afternoon the International Private Equity & Venture Capital Valuation board (IPEV) emphasised its support of the fair value methodology as the best measure of assessing the value of private equity portfolio companies...
The value of 'fair value'
Private equity firms are facing a difficult and potentially painful year-end accounting process as they adapt to the increasing requirements of fair value reporting, but there could be rewards in store for those that meet the challenge. By Ashley Wassall
The wheel turns...
With pressure mounting on both GPs and LPs alike as the post-crunch economic decline stagnates the primary market, the cycle seems once more to have turned in favour of secondaries players. Ashley Wassall reports.
How to Pick Winners
Despite the age-old adage that backing sound management is paramount, a new study reveals that people are less important than the product.
Movers and shakers
Despite the current economic turmoil and subsequent downturn in deal activity, several areas of the private equity industry have witnessed a recruitment boom in the last month. Is this a sign of better things to come? Ashley Wassall reports.
NETHERLANDS - Derks Star Busmann appoints partner
CMS Derks Star Busmann's Banking & Finance practice has appointed Bauke Falkena as partner.
EUROPE - Antin Infrastructure Partners launch announced
Antin Infrastructure Partners, a new fund management business focusing on the infrastructure space and affiliate of BNP Paribas Asset Management, announced its launch this morning at a briefing in London.
BELGIUM - KBC et al sell Oleon
KBC Private Equity, Fortis Private Equity, Ackermans & van Haaren, Mercator Verzekeringen and Jan De Clerck, have sold 100% of the shares in chemicals business Oleon to Sofiproteol, a French company active in the production and transformation of vegetable...
BENELUX/NORDIC/UK - Goldman acquires ABN AMRO portfolio
Goldman Sachs Asset Management has completed the acquisition of a portfolio of 20 buyout investments from ABN AMRO.
EUROPE - Duke Street appoints partner
European mid-market buyout house Duke Street has appointed Miles Cresswell-Turner as a partner specialising in Financial Services.
EUROPE - CVCs remain optimistic
Corporate Venture Capitalists (CVCs) remain optimistic about investment activity in Europe according to a survey published by Ernst & Young, with respondents anticipating that Europe will be the second most important market globally over the next 24 months,...