DACH
GERMANY - Advent Venture Partners and Partech invest in Qype
Qype, a local search service offering user reviews of over 1,000 cities in Germany, has received series-A funding from Advent Venture Partners and Partech, alongside angel investors and Internet entrepreneurs.
SWITZERLAND - SIG rejects CVC take-private approach
Listed Swiss packaging firm SIC has rejected an unsolicited takeover offer from CVC Capital Partners and FERD, the Norwegian parent of packaging group Elopak. The consortium had offered SFr 325-350 per share, however the firm's board of director deemed...
GERMANY - Nord Holding sells Alsitan to management
Nord Holding has sold its 80% stake in Alsitan, located in Greifenberg am Amersee to managing partner Hans-Jürgen Specht and his son, Marc Specht.
GERMANY - Raiden Capital acquires KSH Capital Partners
London-based buyout house Raiden Capital Ltd has acquired KSH Capital Partners AG, a sector-specific financial investor based in Hamburg and Lübeck.
GERMANY - Saban to sell ProSiebenSat.1
According to a report in German news magazine, Focus, US-billionaire Haim Saban is in advanced talks with investors over the sale of his stake in ProSiebenSat1. The report suggests that Saban is speaking with investment bank Goldman Sachs and Apax Partners....
GERMANY - Kion Group up for private equity grabs
Private equity consortia are gathering to bid for Kion Group, the newly re-named material handling division of Linde, according to a report in German newspaper FAZ. Allianz Capital Partners and Permira have apparently clubbed together, with Apax and BC...
GERMANY - T-Venture backs CoreOptics alongside other investors
T-Com Venture Fund has made a strategic investment in CoreOptics Inc, a developer of transponder systems. The company is headquartered in Nuremberg, with operations in New Hampshire, US. It develops high-speed optical networking applications in the telecommunications...
GERMANY - Nordic Capital's Nycomed acquires ALTANA for EUR 4.215bn
Nycomed, a portfolio company owned by Nordic Capital, has acquired ALTANA Pharma AG for four times its own enterprise value. Headquartered in Konstanz, the company is the pharmaceutical business of ALTANA AG's pharmaceuticals and chemicals group. If the...
SWITZERLAND - Helbling joins the fray
Swiss engineering and consulting firm Helbling Gruppe has launched its own private equity fund, Helbling Capital. The group will focus on special and restructuring situations, corporate spin-offs and management buyouts, targeting companies with a turnover...
GERMANY - Financial investor knocked back on first DAX takeover
The first ever DAX-takeover attempt by a private equity bidder has been prematurely knocked back, according to an article in today's Handelsblatt. According to automotive supplier Continental, which has a market capitalisation of EUR 13bn, a tentative...
GERMANY - Nord Holding takes majority in PDS Group
Nord Holding has acquired a 70% stake in PDS Group, Cologne, a systems integrator for mobile data capture systems. Raimund Müller-Rau, general manager of the company, retains the 30% balance.The vendor is MUK Kapitalbeteiligungsgesellschaft, a joint subsidiary...
SWITZERLAND - Precimed Group and Carr Metal Products to unite
Precimed, a technology supplier to the orthopaedic industry, is set to merge with Carr Metal Products, Inc, a sheet metal and thermo-formed plastic tray manufacturer. Precimed is backed by Swiss financial investor BV Group, as well as HBM Bioventures,...
GERMANY - Burda Digital Ventures acquires computeruniverse.net
Burda Digital Ventures GmbH, a subsidiary of Hubert Burda Media, has agreed to acquire computeruniverse.net GmbH, Friedrichshof. The vendors are the company's management and private investor Participia Holding, Hamburg. The acquisition is designed to...
AUSTRIA - Nordwind and VMS to revive Cosmos
Specialist turnaround investors Nordwind Capital and Value Management Services (VMS) have together acquired 100% of Cosmos. Under the terms of the deal, VMS will place 100% of the shares it holds in Niedermeyer, which also operates in the consumer electronics...
GERMANY - Financial consortium exits Vestolit to Strategic Value Partners
Candover has sold PVC-producer Vestolit to Strategic Value Partners, alongside the company's management. A consortium of investors, led by Candover, acquired the company in 1999. Other groups making up the consortium were Chase Capital Partners, Foreign...
GERMANY - PPM Capital sells BST after 15 months
PPM Capital has sold BST Safety Textiles just 15 months after it acquired the company. The buyer is WL Ross & Co, a private equity firm headquartered in the US.
GERMANY - JC Flowers-led consortium to acquire HSH Nordbank stake
According to press reports JC Flowers & Co is leading a consortium of investors in the acquisition WestLB's stake in HSH Nordbank. The transaction is valued at EUR 1.25bn.
GERMANY - Nokia acquires gate5 from Innoven and Target
Innoven Partenaires and Target Partners have exited their stakes in gate5 AG, a supplier of mapping, routing and navigation software services.
GERMANY - 3i sells SR Technics to Emirates consortium for EUR 1bn
In spite of long-standing rumours that 3i was planning to list SR Technics this Autumn, the investor has gone the route of a direct sale. The consortium acquiring the company is made up of investors Mubadala Development (Abu Dhabi), Dubai Aerospace Enterprise...
GERMANY - AKsys up for refinancing
German automotive supplier AKsys, which is owned by Deutsche Beteiligungs AG, AXA Private Equity, PPM Capital and Süd Private Equity, is set to be refinanced. Mandated lead arranger for the process is Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.
GERMANY - CVC to run dual track for Ista
According to press reports CVC has appointed Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank to prepare the sale or IPO of Ista, formerly Viterra Energy Services.
GERMANY - Perseus acquires SEVA Energie
US-based Perseus LLC, has acquired a majority stake in SEVA Energie AG, a manufacturer of combined heat and power units fueled by alternative fuels.
GERMANY - Auctus Management continues to fill its portfolio
Following a number of transactions this year, including the buyout of Pharmazell and the sale of Time Partner to Investcorp, Auctus Management has made a further acquisition. Alongside Schmack Biogas AG, the investment house has acquired a 70% stake in...
GERMANY - 3i exits stake in Temmler Pharma
3i has sold its stake in Temmler Pharma GmbH to Ricken Pharma GmbH. Ricken Pharma, together with current management, acquired a 49% stake in the company. The firm is now wholly owned by Ricken Pharma and company management.