France
FRANCE – Af2i promotes institutional interest in pe
Jean-Philppe Richaud of Macif and Jean-Yves Mary of Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne have co-piloted an incentive to promote institutional awareness towards private equity within the Af2i (association française des investisseurs institutionnels)....
FRANCE - Eurazeo reports EUR 700m profit after tax
Eurazeo has announced consolidated net profit after tax amounted to EUR 700.6m group share compared with EUR 24.6m in 2004 under IFRS.
FRANCE - Starwood Capital preparesTaittinger sale
Star GT Acquisition, the newco established by Starwood Capital for the Groupe Taittinger and Société du Louvre transactions completed in 2005, has announced its launch of the divestment process for Taittinger’s activities.
FRANCE - PE to bid for Emap assets?
According to press reports, private equity firms are expected to be involved in the bidding for Emap France, which is has been put up for sale for around EUR 600m.
FRANCE - AtriA sells CS Dermatologie to Sinclair Pharma
AtriA Capital Partenaires and Didier Rase have announced the siging of an agreement to sell 100% of the share capital of CS Dermatologie to UK pharmaceutical group Sinclair Pharma Plc.
FRANCE - Amboise Investissement to float
Amboise Investissement has announced the filing, on 24 February 2006, of its reference prospectus with AMF, the French financial markets authority (Autorité des Marchés Financiers).
FRANCE - Apax to sell ALAIN AFFLELOU
Alain Afflelou and Apax Partners today announce that they have entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of their interests in ALAIN AFFLELOU SA to an investment vehicle controlled by Bridgepoint based on a price of EUR 33 per ALAIN AFFLELOU SA...
FRANCE - Eyeka announces $5m Series-A round
Eyeka, a provider of mobile video and image service applications, announced today that it has completed a $5m Series-A round. Ventech Capital, based in Paris, invested $3.2m and DN Capital, based in London, provided $1.8m. This marks the second partnership...
FRANCE - TowerBrook takes majority interest in engineering specialist
Private equity firm TowerBrook Capital Partners has today announced that funds managed and advised by TowerBrook will acquire a 67% shareholding in French engineering company GSE for an undisclosed sum. This transaction will also allow GSE’s management...
FRANCE - Iwedia raises EUR 2.7m from VC syndicate
Software specialist Iwedia Technologies has secured EUR 2.7m from an investors group including CDC Entrepreises Innovation, I-Source Gestion, iXCore and Thales Corporate Ventures.
FRANCE - Eurazeo agrees to buy Europcar for EUR 3bn
Eurazeo today announced it had reached a final agreement with Volkswagen AG regarding the acquisition of 100% of the capital of Europcar, the European car rental outfit, for EUR 3bn. The terms of this agreement have been approved by the management board...
FRANCE - Eurazeo agrees to buy Europcar for EUR 3bn
Eurazeo today announced it had reached a final agreement with Volkswagen AG regarding the acquisition of 100% of the capital of Europcar, the European car rental outfit, for EUR 3bn. The terms of this agreement have been approved by the management board...
FRANCE - Siparex Croissance clocks up good performance for 2005
Sigefi Private Equity’s listed private equity vehicle, Siparex Croissance, has today announced its performance in 2005. The fund, which is quoted on Eurolist’s C compartment, recorded its best performance in five years for parent company net income -...
FRANCE - Mezzanine Management appoints new director
Mezzanine Management has today announced the appointment of Henry-Louis Merieux as a director. He will be based in Mezzanine Management’s Paris office and will be responsible for originating and managing mezzanine investments in France. Merieux previously...
FRANCE - Motorola Ventures invests in IP over broadcast media provider
Motorola Ventures has injected EUR 2m for a third round of funding in UDcast. The investor joins existing shareholders CDC Entreprises Innovation, SGAM AI PE, I-Source, Baytech Venture and Mitsubishi Venture which collectively provided EUR 8.8m in two...
FRANCE - Kayentis raises EUR 2m from XAnge
XAnge has led at EUR 2m first round of funding in the software start-up Kayentis, via its XAnge Capital and XAnge Private Equity funds. Company founder and CEO Philippe Berna, business angels Jean-Louis Moses and Pierre Casse and an industrial player...
FRANCE - Wendel consortium prepares Legrand's EUR 1.8bn IPO
Wendel Investissement is planning Legrand’s IPO, which has been valued at around EUR 1.8bn. Owing to the current good performances of the French financial markets, coupled with the fact that Legrand’s revenues are forecast to exceed EUR 3bn this year,...
FRANCE - Eurazeo to acquire Europcar from Volkswagen
Eurazeo has entered into exclusive negotiations with Volkswagen AG to acquire Europcar. The private equity house has fought off competition in two rounds of the auction run by Citigroup. Europcar is the European leader in hire cars and counts more than...
FRANCE - Avenir Tourisme purchases Yachts de Paris
Avenir Tourisme has backed the buyout of Yachts de Paris, alongside co-investor Perspectives et Participations. The buyers have taken a 30% stake in the business, while the company’s managing director, Marc Bungener, holds the balance. A private investor...
FRANCE - Activa Capital organises MBO of Logitrade
Activa Capital has organised the management buyout of Logitrade, France’s leading procurement externalisation business for non-strategic purchases. Logitrade has been purchased from its founder, Bernard Mercadier, who will remain as chairman of the supervisory...
FRANCE - Naxicap backs mannequin business
Naxicap Partners has backed the buyout of COFRAD to take a minority stake. It has invested a sum of EUR 2.6m through its funds Banque Populaire Développement and FIP Banque Populaire Proximité IDF Nord 2004. The company’s founding CEO, Serge Beltramino,...
FRANCE - Stampede over Colony's Buffalo Grill stakes
France’s largest shareholder action group is urging the AMF (autorité des marchés financiers) to refuse Colony Capital’s attempt to delist Buffalo Grill. Colette Neuville, head of Association pour la Défense des Actionnaires Minoritaires (ADAM), opposes...
FRANCE - Asiatex to take Petitboy out of receivership
Pau’s regulatory court has selected Asiatex to acquire Petitboy from CIC Banque de Vizille and bring the company out of receivership. The children’s clothing company has been held under observation for the past four months. Asiatex has agreed to acquire...
FRANCE - Electra sells electronic security group to Honeywell
Electra Partners Europe has today announced the sale of Gardiner Europe’s largest independent distributor of electronic security equipment, to Honeywell. Gardiner is headquartered in France and has operations in ten European countries: the UK and Ireland...