France
FRANCE - LFPI backs the management buy-in of Holtex
LFPI has taken an 85% stake in medical equipment company Holtex, via its fund LFPI Croissance. LCL underwrote the senior debt package.
FRANCE - Truffle Venture hires fresh talent
Paris-based Truffle Venture has recruited an energy specialist and a new financial controller.
FRANCE - AXA Private equity wins Keolis exclusivity
Following a UBS-run limited auction, France's state rail group SNCF has selected AXA Private equity to buy 55% of public transport management company Keolis.
FRANCE - Barclays Private Equity profits from 21 Centrale's withdrawal from Apem
21 Centrale Partners has withdrawn its offer to acquire electrical switch maker Apem, citing concerns stemming from due diligence work.
FRANCE - Fund-of-funds provider Fondinvest spins-off from CDC
Fondinvest Capital, an asset management firm created in 1994 by Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC), has spun off.
FRANCE - Europcar makes EUR 670m acquisition
Car rental business Europcar, one of Eurazeo's portfolio companies, has acquired US-based Vanguard's European operations for EUR 670m. The price represents 12.7x the company's 2006 EBIT before synergies.
FRANCE - Cerenis receives EUR 42.1m in a second round of financing
Cerenis Therapeutics has gathered EUR 42.1m in its second round of institutional funding. TVM Capital and OrbiMed of the US join the existing investors, all of which renewed their commitments.
FRANCE - French government to allocate additional EUR 2bn to benefit SMEs
The French government will invest an additional EUR 2bn in funds-of-funds, to help the development of the country's fast-growing SMEs.
FRANCE - Natexis and Crédit Agricole back buyout of luxury bottle maker
Natexis Industrie, Natexis Investissement and Crédit Agricole Private Equity have backed the buyout of Saverglass, a designer, manufacturer and distributor of luxury glass bottles and decanters.
FRANCE - 21 Centrale Partners plans to delist Apem
21 Centrale Partners has entered negotiations to take-private Apem, a manufacturer of miniature switches for electronic applications notably.
FRANCE - Willkie Farr & Gallagher bolsters its Paris office
Law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher has appointed Pierre Ullmann as associate in its Paris office. Emmanuel Galifer, who has worked with Ullmann since 2004 also joins the law firm.
FRANCE - Spef Venture rebrands itself
Spef Venture is changing its name to Seventure Partners.
SWITZERLAND/FRANCE/ITALY - Argos Soditic's founder to leave the firm
According to press reports Edoardo Bugnone, founder of private equity firm Argos Soditic and a former chairman of the European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA), is to leave the firm weeks after the closing of its latest fund.
FRANCE - Former Wanadoo boss appointed partner by Sofinnova
Sofinnova Partners has announced the appointment of Olivier Sichel as partner.
FRANCE - BNP Paribas Développement leads the buyout of Dufieux Industrie
BNP Paribas Développement has backed the buyout of Dufieux Industrie, a Grenoble-based industrial supplier for the aeronautical sector.
FRANCE - European Capital to open German office
One-stop buyout arranger and mezzanine underwriter European Capital has revealed it will open an office in Germany in the first semester of 2007. Frankfurt is the most likely location of the new premises.
FRANCE - Innate Pharma goes public
Innate Pharma has completed a EUR 33.7m capital increase on Euronext Paris' compartment C. The instiutional tranche was reportedly 2.5x over-subscribed. Bryan Garnier was joint lead manager and joint bookrunner on this transaction alongside Société...
FRANCE - XAnge announces eco-friendly shift
XAnge has announced that its portfolio will now include companies in the renewable energies, sustainable growth and eco-technologies sectors.
FRANCE - Apax Partners to delist Prosodie
Apax Partners has announced its has agreed to acquire 46.42% of Prosodie's shares from Alain Bernard via Camélia Participations for EUR 20 per share. Apax also announced its plan to file a tender offer for the remainder of the Prosodie's shares before...
FRANCE - Lion Capital sells jam maker to Activa Capital
Lion Capital has announced it has agreed to sell Materne, a leading French jam manufacturer to French mid-market buyout firm, Activa Capital.
FRANCE - Crédit Agricole Private Equity invests EUR 2m in SplitGames
Crédit Agricole Private Equity (CAPE) has completed the EUR 2m first round of funding in online video games exchange community SplitGames.
FRANCE - UFG Private Equity invests in children's shoes retailer
UFG Private Equity, formerly known as Nord Europe Private Equity, has invested EUR 1.5m in Petits Petons.
FRANCE - Activa Capital backs the buyout of Françoise Saget
Activa Capital has backed the spin-out of Françoise Saget from Yves Rocher. The deal was leveraged by a debt package underwritten by Banque Palatine.