DACH
Watching your back
Every major corporate crisis seems to spark rumours of private equity big guns circling the floundering target. Recently, parts of the crumbling Merckle empire were said to be being examined by various players, while Opel, the German subsidiary of General...
FRANCE/GERMANY - PAI set to lose Monier to creditors
PAI partners has seemingly resigned itself to losing control of of troubled roofing business Monier Group (formerly Lafarge Roofing), after the lending consortium led by distressed investors Apollo, TowerBrook Captial and York Capital submitted a counter...
EUROPE - Private equity interest in Thomas Cook
Both private equity and trade buyers are reportedly circling Thomas Cook, Europe's second biggest tour operator, after its majority stakeholder, German retailer Arcandor, filed for insolvency on Tuesday.
SWITZERLAND - SECA Chairmann to stand down
Dr Massimo Lattmann, chairman of Swiss venture capital association SECA, has announced that he will not seek re-election at the next general assembly of the private equity trade body.
SWITZERLAND - AIG PE reaches agreement with lenders
Listed investor AIG Private Equity has reached a standstill agreement with its banking consortium, with which it has a $100m credit facility.
EUROPE - Stronger cooperation among European associations
Europe's private equity trade bodies have vowed to work closely together to drive improvements to the proposed Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive launched by the European Commission in April this year.
GERMANY - Leonardo invests further EUR 250,000 in InovisCoat
Leonardo Venture has invested a further EUR 250,000 in specialty foils company InovisCoat GmbH, maintaining its 49% stake in the business.
EUROPE - Cerberus loses two heads
It is understood that US-based investor Cerberus has lost two of its European-based heads in London as part of a firm-wide scaling back operation.
GERMANY - Soffin takes 90% Hypo stake
Government-backed investor Soffin has completed an investment into Hypo Real Estate Holding AG, upping its stake in the ailing real estate bank to 90%.
EUROPE - Advent International hires partner
Global private equity firm Advent International has hired Bob Wigley as operating partner in its London office.
GERMANY - DIC’s Almatis is debt restructuring talks
According to reports, Dubai International Capital-owned aluminium producer Almatis is in debt restructuring talks with its lenders, comprising UBS, Commerzbank, SMBC, Harbourmaster Capital and Carlyle Group.
GERMANY - Commerzbank launches debt restructuring business
Commerzbank has established a new debt restructuring advisory business based in Frankfurt.
GERMANY/UK - 3i-backed Hyperion's subsidiary acquires Hendricks
3i-backed Hyperion Insurance Group's brokering arm, Howden, has acquired Hendricks & Co, a specialist directors and officers (D&O) and commercial legal expenses broker in Germany.
EUROPE - Richard Wilson to succeed Jonathan Russell as EVCA chairman
The European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA) has announced Richard Wilson, senior partner at Apax Partners, as the proposed successor of chairman Jonathan Russell.
EUROPE – LODH closes Euro Choice IV on CHF 776m
Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch has closed Euro Choice IV on CHF 776m.
GERMANY - Linklaters appoints global head of employment
Linklaters has appointed Dr Michael Teppas as global head of its Frankfurt-based employment practice, which oversees the activities of around 70 lawyers worldwide.
GERMANY - HTGF backs maxment GmbH
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) has invested an undisclosed sum into software company maxment GmbH, with business angel Dr Rolf-Christian Wentz also participating.
EUROPE - KKR writes down value of European fund by half
US buyout house KKR has reportedly written down the value of its second European fund, which includes in its portfolio Alliance Boots, by almost half.
EUROPE - Dunedin appoints new director
Dunedin Capital Partners' listed private equity investment trust has hired Federico Marescotti as a new director.
EUROPE - AnaCap closes second fund on EUR 575m
London-based buyout-house AnaCap Financial Partners has closed its second fund, AnaCap Financial Partners II, on EUR 575m, almost twice the size of its predecessor, which closed on EUR 300m in 2006.
Tide of capital has gone out
Deborah Sterescu asks Dr Jim Strang, director of fund investments at Dunedin Capital Partners, about today's challenging fundraising climate
Ram-shackled
Following the hostile response to the EU Commission's proposed Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive by private equity trade bodies, unquote" invited five prominent lawyers to share their views on the impact the new legislation could have on...