France
Afic: France needs urgent PR boost
French PE
KKR acquires SMCP Group
KKR has supported the management buyout of luxury apparel retailer SMCP Group, acquiring the firm from French private equity houses L Capital and Florac.
Eurazeo portfolio company sells Molinel
Eurazeo has sold its portfolio company Molinel, a specialist in workwear clothing, to workwear retailer Alisco.
Private equity owners consider IPO of Numéricable
Private equity giants Cinven and Carlyle, alongside cable operator Altice Group, have asked banks to pitch on an initial public offering of French cable company Numéricable, according to reports.
Equistone's de Blignières to raise €300m vehicle
Equistone senior partner Gonzague de Blignières is looking to raise €300m for Raise Capital, a new evergreen structure designed to provide growth capital to French SMEs.
Equistone completes acquisition of Meilleurtaux.com
Equistone has wholly acquired real estate mortgage adviser Meilleurtaux.com from French banking group BPCE for an estimated €20m.
Isai holds second closing on €40m and makes new hire
French VC Isai has held a second closing of its latest growth capital fund Isai Expansion on more than €40m.
LP interview: The secondaries saga
Founded in 1991, London-based Paul Capital has decades of experience in secondaries and fund-of-funds investments. unquote" talks to secondaries specialist and partner Elaine Small about the drivers behind the market's unprecedented growth.
Charterhouse could pull Ista and Elior sales
Charterhouse could put the sale processes of German energy-metering firm Ista and French catering company Elior on hold in the face of lacklustre bids, according to reports.
XAnge divests RunMyProcess stake in trade sale
XAnge Private Equity has sold its stake in French cloud computing solutions developer RunMyProcess (RMP) to Japanese trade player Fujitsu.
Boehringer Ingelheim invests in Eyevensys
Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF) has invested in French biotech company Eyevensys, marking the start of a new funding round for the business.
Ace Management in €4m round for Ocea
Ace Management has joined existing investor Edmond de Rothcshild Investment Partners (EdRip) in a €4m round for French aluminium boats manufacturer Ocea.
Axa PE sells Aixam Mega to Polaris Industries
Axa Private Equity has exited its majority stake in France-based commercial vehicles manufacturer Aixam Mega in a trade sale to US-based company Polaris Industries Inc.
Demeter and 123Venture back Cooltech Applications
Demeter Partners and 123Venture have joined existing investors in an €8m funding round for French magnetic refrigeration specialist Cooltech Applications.
Demeter et al. inject €7m into Ideol
Demeter Partners, Sofimac and Soridec have provided Ideol, a French developer of foundations for offshore wind farms, with €7m of funding.
France: commitments from banks, insurers, pension funds down 43%
France's lacklustre fundraising figures for 2012 highlight the continued retreat of traditional LPs, such as banks, insurers and pension funds, according to new research by industry trade body Afic.
Clifford Chance poaches Ashurst's Xavier Comaills
Ashurst partner Xavier Comaills is set to join Clifford Chance and head the firm's fund structuring practice in Paris.
Newfund invests in XOR Motors
Venture capital Newfund has backed XOR Motors, a French manufacturer of electric scooters.
Nixen promotes Houlot to partner
French private equity firm Nixen Partners has promoted Vincent Houlot to partner in its Paris office.
Eurazeo PME buys Idéal Résidences from LBO France
Eurazeo PME has acquired French medical and social healthcare provider Idéal Résidences from LBO France.
CDC Entreprises and Sofinnova invest €8m in MedDay
CDC Entreprises and Sofinnova Partners have made an €8m equity investment in French biotech firm MedDay.
CM-CIC and IDI exit Alti in €75m trade sale
CM-CIC LBO Partners and IDI have sold French IT engineering firm Alti to a subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Tata in a €75m all-cash transaction.
Labco: formal bids expected next month
3i-backed medical diagnostics company Labco formally launched its sale process at the end of January and first bids are expected in May.
Novartis, Index et al. lead €32m series-A for GenSight Biologics
Novartis Venture Fund, Abingworth, Versant Ventures and Index Ventures have co-led a €32m series-A funding round for French biotech business GenSight Biologics.