France
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 - 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 - 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...
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 - Cavipar enters the French turnaround arena
After more than 12 years of experience in turnarounds, strategic repositionings and growth situations, as investment banker, investor, as well as CEO, Charles H Rossignol and US based private equity fund Dimeling, Schreiber and Park are teaming up to...
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...