France
FRANCE - UFG Private Equity boosts its investment team
UFG Private Equity (formerly known as Nord Europe Private Equity) has announced the nomination of two new investment directors.
FRANCE - Advent buys discount retailer Stokomani from Alpha Group
Advent International has backed the management of French discount retailer Stokomani in its buyout from Alpha Group. Stokomani is a major French end-of-line and big brand product stock clearance retailer, offering a range of 15,000-20,000 products in...
FRANCE - 360 Capital Partners invests EUR 3m in Iminent
Franco-Italian venture investor 360 Capital Partners has invested EUR 3m in the first round of funding for Iminent, a developer of tools and services for online instant messaging.
FRANCE - Industri Kapital to sell Ceva Santé Animale
Unquote News can reveal that Ceva Santé Animale is set go on sale. The information was provided by a source close to the deal.
SPAIN/FRANCE - CVC, Cinven and PAI back BAT in Altadis bid
Buyout giants CVC Capital, Cinven and PAI will back a bid by British American Tobacco for the acquisition of Altadis, according to French press reports.
FRANCE - Colony makes new attempt to de-list Buffalo Grill
US private equity firm Colony Capital has made a new, improved tender offer for the remainder of shares in restaurant business Buffalo Grill.
FRANCE/SPAIN - Altadis attracts private equity buyers
Following the rejection of Imperial Tobacco's £8bn bid last month, three private equity firms have expressed interest in acquiring tobacco company Altadis, according to press reports.
FRANCE - Atos Origin weighs its options out
French computer services company Atos Origin has confirmed it is exploring strategic options. The supervisory and management boards have mandated Rothschild and Goldman Sachs to run the process.
FRANCE - Camaieu sold to Cinven
AXA Private Equity will sell its controlling shareholding in clothing brand Camaïeu to Cinven, at a unitary share price of EUR 267. The offer values the target at EUR 1.6bn.
FRANCE - Speculation over Apollo's interest in Valeo
US private equity firm Apollo is considering a bid for French auto parts business Valeo, according to market rumours.
FRANCE - Barclays PE backs secondary buyout of Kermel
Barclays Private Equity has led the secondary buyout of aramide fibres manufacturer Kermel, alongside management and previous investor Argos Soditic.
FRANCE - Rexel launches EUR 1.015bn IPO
Private equity-backed electrical equipment distributor Rexel has submitted details of its planned IPO to the French financial market authorities.
FRANCE - New player in French mezzanine - Audacia
Charles Beidbeder has announced the launched of Audacia, a new structure providing warrant-less mezzanine directly to French SMEs.
FRANCE - IPO announces 2006 results
Small-cap listed fund IPO has disclosed its performance figures for 2006.
EUROPE - Covenant-lite loans stoke heavy fears
Reports of banks accepting “covenant-lite” loans to win deals has worried industry professionals. “It is due to an oversupply of capital and a very clear sign of an overheated market,” one banker said. “It is a bad structure and will come unstuck...
FRANCE - Weinberg pilots secondary buyout of Via Location
Weinberg Capital Partners has taken a majority stake of truck rental business Via Location. The deal means an exit for Edmond de Rothschild Capital Partners (ERCP).
FRANCE - MBO Partenaires invests in dried fruit distributor
French mid-cap private equity firm MBO Partenaires has backed the buyout of Daco, a distributor of dried fruits.
FRANCE - Consortium wins Saur exclusivity
A syndicate led by state-backed CDC and including industrial company Séché Environnement and AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) has won exclusivity in an auction for water business Saur. According to reports in the French press, the price obtained by...
FRANCE - Global Private Equity hires US LP specialist
International placement agent Global Private Equity has appointed Gayle Jackson as senior consultant.
FRANCE - Atos Origin denies buyout rumours
Computer services company Atos Origin has announced it has not signed any agreement relating to financial operations on its shareholding.
FRANCE - Close Brothers creates small-cap team based in Lyon
Corporate Financier Close Brothers has created a team dedicated to small cap M&A for companies valued at less than EUR 30m.
FRANCE - Aurel Nextstage publishes FCPI performance
Small-cap private equity firm Aurel-Nextstage has published the latest performance figures for its FCPI funds.
EUROPE - No overhang, but concerns regarding returns say LPs
'There is no capital overhang,' according to Urs Wietlisbach at Partners Group, speaking at the EVCA Investors' Forum in Geneva on Wednesday. As Thomson revealed that nearly EUR 90bn was raised for investment last year, panelists were quick to point out...
GLOBAL - S&P launches industry index
In a move that underlines the increasing significance of private equity, ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has launched a new index to track the industry’s performance. The tracker will follow the 25 most liquid private equity firms around the globe.