France
FRANCE - Venture syndicate puts up EUR 16.4m for Varioptics
Sofinnova partners and Polytechnos Venture Partners are joined by new investors Iris Capital, Xange and Delphis in the 3rd round financing of Varioptics, a liquid lens company, in a deal worth EUR 16.4m.
FRANCE - Activa Capital backs MBO of Créal
Activa Capital Fund FCPR has purchased a majority stake in Créal, a leading French manufacturer of aluminium windows from its founder, Claude Caprini, and Siparex SPF III Middle Market, a fund managed by Sigefi Private Equity. Founded in 1992 by Claude...
FRANCE - Séchilienne-Sidec undergoes EUR 277m refinancing
Calyon has recently completed the EUR 277m refinancing of Apax Partner’s portfolio company Séchilienne-Sidec. The deal comprised credit facilities to refinance the energy production group’s existing indebtedness and its existing corporate credit facilities....
FRANCE - Immutep seeks EUR 13m from European VCs
French biopharmaceutical company Immutep is seeking a further EUR 13m from European investors, in addition to the EUR 5m already received from its existing investors. In December 2004, Innoven Partenaires led a EUR 2.5m second round of funding in the...
FRANCE - Duke Street Capital exits Marie Brizard
Duke Street Capital (DSC) has announced today the sale of its 69.3% stake in Marie Brizard & Roger International (MBRI) to French Spirits Group Belvédère, for a total consideration of EUR 397m. DSC took control of MBRI in May 2000 when the family-owned...
GLOBAL - JPMorgan sells private equity portfolio
Press reports confirm that Goldman Sachs Asset Management and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board have co-led the secondary purchase of a US$925m stake in the JPMorgan Partners Global Fund from JPMorgan Chase.
FRANCE – Perfectis backs security group BIMBO
Perfectis Private Equity has backed the BIMBO of SEPTAM to acquire a majority stake in the newco Vesta Capital. The investment marks the private equity house’s third investment through its FCPR Perfectis II. The balance is held by incoming CEO Eric Thord...
FRANCE - Colony and Butler buy Paris St Germain from Canal+
Colony Capital and Butler Capital Partners (BCP) have purchased the football club Paris St Germain (PSG) from Canal+ for EUR 41m. Colony has invested via Colyzeo, which formed in partnership with cornerstone investor Eurazeo. The private equity houses...
FRANCE - Finatem acquires Mecanindus-Vogelsang Group
Finatem has acquired 75% of Mecanindus-Vogelsang group. The remaining 25% interest has been acquired by the management and the former owners. IKB provided senior debt to finance the transaction via its Frankfurt and Paris offices.
FRANCE – AtriA welcomes new recruit
Matthieu Rambaud has joined AtriA Capital Partenaires as deal executive. He previously worked at Bain & Company since 2000, first as a consultant and then as a project manager for strategy and performance improvement missions. Rambaud joins the team of...
FRANCE - Sagard acquires laundry group from Astorg
Sagard has backed the secondary buyout of Régie Linge Développement (RLD) from Astorg Partners. The private equity house has gained an 80% shareholding in France’s third largest professional linen hire, while the management team holds the balance. Although...
FRANCE - Financial investors retain majority of Legrand following refloat
Wendel Investissement and KKR hold a 60% stake in Legrand following the refloat of the company. The offering was 30 times over-subscribed. The public now holds approximately 20% of the Legrand's capital, with minority shareholders holding the remaining...
FRANCE - CNP turns down Taittinger
Star GT Acquisition, an indirect affiliate of Starwood Capital Group, announced Compagnie Nationale à Portefeuille’s (CNP) decision to withdraw its candidacy for the acquisition of Taittinger. CNP is controlled by Belgian billionaire Albert Frère, who...
FRANCE - Siparex and Avenir Entreprises back IT provider
Avenir Entreprises Gestion and Siparex, through its Rhônes-Alpes PME Gestion fund, have backed a first round of funding in CISA Informatique. The investors have injected EUR 770,000 each in the newco, Amilcar Developpement.
FRANCE - Eurazeo increases Danone stake
Eurazeo has increased its stake in Danone from 3.68% to 5.10%. The private equity house acquired the shares for EUR 375m and gained 8.59% of voting rights. Eurazeo has been a shareholder in the Euronext-listed food group for over 20 years. Last year,...
FRANCE - Alpha's fifth fund acquires Mecatherm
Alpha Private Equity Fund 5 has announced its first investment since it closed on EUR 750m in February 2006. The fund has acquired Mecatherm from Astorg Partners, 21 Centrale Partners and Cogepa, alongside its management team. APEF 5 will hold a majority...
FRANCE - Wendel looks beyond France
As Wendel Investissement finalises its flotation of Legrand, which it acquired for EUR 3.63bn from Schneider in December 2002, it has announced its move to acquire companies outside France. It currently has some EUR 1.03bn in equity to dedicate to potential...
FRANCE – Ventech and DN Capital back Babinet's new venture
Eyeka has completed a EUR 4m series-A round of funding just months after being founded. Paris-based Ventech has injected EUR 2.56m, while London-based DN Capital has provided the remaining EUR 1.44m. Eyeka is a provider of mobile video and image service...
FRANCE - ABN AMRO Capital and Astorg acquire OFIC
ABN AMRO Capital France and Astorg Partners have acquired OFIC for an enterprise value of EUR 210m. The buyout houses have taken equal shareholdings in the company, alongside its management team headed by Jean-Louis Roques. The deal also involves members...
FRANCE - AXA PE acquires Skyrock
AXA Private Equity has just signed an acquisition agreement for an 80% stake in Skyrock Group. It has been signed in association with Pierre Bellanger, CEO of Group Skyrock and Tamago, the company held by Morgan Grenfell Private Equity and Goldman Sachs....
FRANCE – Cinven set for UPC France mega-deal
Cinven has signed a letter of agreement with US-based cable operator Liberty Global to purchase UPC France for EUR 1.25bn. The deal is still in its very early stage, but Cinven is expected to pay a full 11.4 times UPC France’s 2005 operating cashflow,...
FRANCE - IK recapitalises CEVA Santé Animale
Industri Kapital has completed a EUR 208m recapitalisation of CEVA Santé Animale, the international French based animal health care company. This is IK’s second recapitalisation in a week and follows the EUR 65m recapitalisation of Myresjöhus.
FRANCE - 3i sells interest in Groupe Vendôme to Johnson & Johnson
3i has entered into an agreement to sell its interest in Groupe Vendôme to Johnson & Johnson Consumer France SAS for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2006....
FRANCE - AXA PE staff shuffle in UK and US offices
AXA Private Equity’s London office is modifying its structure to become a limited company, AXA Private Equity UK, which is set to relocate to its new premises by 1 June 2006. James Pitt, head of the UK office, is leaving the company, as well as David...