France
THL buys Sword Insurance unit
Thomas H Lee Partners has agreed to acquire the insurance unit of Paris-based Sword Group in a deal thought to be worth around $150m.
TCR buys Européenne from Industries & Finances
TCR Capital has bought a majority stake in French food distributor Européenne Food from Industries & Finances Partenaires and Défi Gestion.
PAI sells SPIE in €2.1bn SBO
A private equity consortium led by Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) has acquired French engineering group SPIE from PAI partners for a total consideration of €2.1bn.
Mezzanine: Waiting for the rain
Mezzanine players have endured a drought for some time now. The first rain clouds may just have appeared on the horizon, as Emanuel Eftimiu finds out.
Azulis Capital buys Lagarrigue from iXO
Azulis Capital has taken a majority stake in the secondary buyout of French medical equipment business Lagarrigue from iXO Private Equity.
Weinberg appoints director of investor relations
Weinberg Capital Partners has appointed Sophie Chateau as director of investor relations.
21 Partners exits Interflora in €148m tertiary buyout
21 Centrale Partners has sold flower business Interflora to investment companies Chevrillon & Associés and HLD Associés for €148m.
BC Partners further exits Médica
TBU-3 International, a holding owned by BC Partners, has sold a 28.1% stake in listed French homecare company Médica.
CVC to take Delachaux private for €1.08bn
CVC has agreed to acquire a stake in French industrial group Delachaux, with a view to delist the company at a later date.
Large exits up 60% year-on-year
So far, 2011 has seen a surge in exit activity for private equity funds, with large-scale divestments seeing a significant recovery in particular. John Bakie gives an overview
Colony and Butler Capital to exit PSG
Colony Capital and Butler Capital are about to sell French football club Paris St Germain (PSG) to the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), according to French daily Le Parisien.
PE firms team up for Spie auction
Axa Private Equity and Clayton Dubilier & Rice will make a joint bid for PAI's engineering company Spie, according to media reports.
Apollo offers €400m for Ascometal
US firm Apollo is looking to acquire French steel producer Ascometal from its parent company Lucchini, according to media reports.
PE-backed AES Laboratoire sold for €183m
Abénex Capital, EPF Partners, Fortis PE and BNP Paribas have exited French microbiology company AES Laboratoire in a €183m trade sale to bioMérieux.
Swathe of PE exits expected this year
Private equity firms are looking to exit a large number of their portfolio companies in the coming 12 months, according to Grant Thornton UK's latest Private Equity Barometer.
AXA invests in Ticket Surf International
AXA Private Equity has acquired a 25% stake in French provider of e-money services Ticket Surf International (TSI) as part of an owner buyout.
Generis to manage "socially responsible" fund
Generis Capital Partners has partnered with business network Réseau Entreprendre Ile de France to manage a new growth capital fund.
Blackfin et al invest €57m in Kepler
BlackFin Capital Partners has led a €57m investment in Kepler Capital Markers, a pan-European equity and fixed income broker.
PE jobs debate returns after Amdega collapse
The impact of private equity on job creation in the wider economy has always led to heated debates, being both hard to evaluate properly and politically sensitive. Recent news might revive the argument. Greg Gille reports
Deutsche unquote" out now
The latest digital edition of Deutsche unquoteт is out now, packed with all the latest funds, deals and features in the region.
Austria: High PE demand held back by lack of funds
While investors in Germany are experiencing a lack of companies willing to sell in the primary market, the situation in Austria is quite the opposite. An increasing demand for equity stands against a small pool of funds. Diana Petrowicz investigates....
Interview: ASCRI's Maite Ballester
The Spanish private equity association (ASCRI) has renewed its efforts to promote venture and finally created separate platforms for its membership. Susannah Birkwood speaks to Maite Ballester, the partner and managing director of 3i Spain and president...
SJ Berwin names eight to partnership
SJ Berwin has promoted eight of its lawyers to partner.
Seventure et al. inject €900,000 in Tigerlily
Seventure Partners and business angels network Seed4Soft have invested €900,000 in French online media agency Tigerlily.