Nordics
SWEDEN - Apax sells Global Refund to BPE for over EUR 360m
Apax Partners has sold Global Refund, a Swedish VAT refund service, to Barclays Private Equity for a sum in excess of EUR 360m. As part of the transaction, the management team will continue to be shareholders in the company.
SWEDEN - EQT is expected to list Duni despite market shake up
There is mounting speculation that EQT portfolio company Duni AB, the Swedish producer of high quality products for the catering and service industry will be floated. EQT has held Duni since 2001. According to press reports Duni has struggled to get on...
SWEDEN - Telenor's offer for Canal Plus rejected by KKR and Permira
According to Swedish press reports, Telenor's offer for KKR and Permira-owned Canal Plus has been rejected. Telenor has been rumoured to have been interested in the Nordic part of the European TV giant for some time, and this is the third time Telenor...
SWEDEN - Rutland Partners exits Svensk Pantbelåning AB
Rutland Partners has sold Svensk Pantbelåning AB, a Swedish pawn broker, to Preato Capital, Finland’s largest pawn broker.
DENMARK - Medtronic's neurology products to be acquired
Water Street Healthcare Partners, the Chicago private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry, has acquired a majority stake in Alpine Biomed for an undisclosed sum, to enable the company’s purchase of neurology diagnostic product line...
DENMARK - Nordic Phytopharma A/S is sold to Scandinavian Clinical Nutrition AB
Scandinavian Clinical Nutrition AB (SCN) has acquired Nordic Phytopharma, a Danish pharmaceutical business and Biolink Capital portfolio company, for SEK 60m including an earn-out. SCN will pay for the pharmaceutical in cash and shares. The acquisition...
NORWAY - HitecVision and Statoil Innovation sell Pure Group to Torr Canada
Statoil Innovation and HitecVision Private Equity have sold Pure Group, a oil and gas purification company, to publicly-listed Torr Canada, a extractor of hydrocarbons from upstream oil and gas produced water. The two investors believed an industrial...
DENMARK - Summit Partners invests in Welltec
Summit Partners has invested in Welltec, a Danish provider of precision robotic solutions for oil and gas wells. Summit Partners became aware of Weltec when founder and CEO, Jørgen Hallundbæk, won the Deloitte Entrepreneur of the Year award. The investors...
SWEDEN - Carlyle et al. sell MedPointe to Meda for $520m
Swedish-listed pharmaceutical group Meda has agreed to acquire all the shares in US based-MedPointe, owned by The Carlyle Group and other investors. The two majority shareholders of MedPointe, The Carlyle Group and The Cypress Group, will become shareholders...
DENMARK - EQT sells Contex to Ratos for $240m
EQT has agreed to sell Contex Holding , a developer, manufacturer and supplier of innovative 2D and 3D digital image solutions, to Ratos for $250m.
NORWAY - VIA Travel set for record year
FSN Capital-backed travel agency VIA Travel is set to deliver record-breaking results for its investors ahead of an expected IPO on the Oslo Stock Exchange in October 2007. It is anticipated that the business will list with a value of NOK 1.3bn. FSN Capital...
NORWAY - TH!NK attracts $60m investment
TH!NK Global, a Norwegian producer of environmently friendly cars, has completed a private placement of $60m from several investors including, DFJ Element and RockPort Capital Partners. Other private high-net worth Norwegian investors including Petter...
SWEDEN - Industrifonden participates in SEK 20m round in Osteria Sverige
Industrifonden has invested SEK 6m in a SEK 20m round in Osteria Sverige, a company that is in the process of starting to produce and sell oysters.
SWEDEN - CapMan and 3i exit Avitec AB
CapMan funds and 3i have exited their investment in Avitec AB. Avitec has been acquired by ECI, the UK-based private equity investor. Avitec manufactures repeaters for mobile telecommunications networks.
SWEDEN - Proventus invests SEK 70m to save J.Lindeberg
Proventus has agreed to invest SEK 70m in fashion company J.Lindeberg. The deal gives Proventus a 35% stake in the business which has recently experienced difficulties between founder Johan Lindeberg and the current owners. Following the new investment,...
FINLAND - Navicore is acquired by Wayfinder
Navicore, the provider of interactive on-board navigation products for smart phones and Nokia Internet tablets, has been sold to Wayfinder.
EUROPE - Balderton Capital invests in TvTrip.com
Balderton Capital has invested EUR 3.5m in TVtrip.com alongside Partech International. Balderton Capital was formerly known as Benchmark Capital Europe.
EUROPE - EVCA defends private equity at European Parliament Forum
At the European Parliamentтs Financial Services Forum last night, EVCA secretary general, Javier Echarri, strongly defended the role and wider function of Private Equity. тThose who demonise Private Equity should consider the law of unintended consequences...
DENMARK - PharmaZell acquires GEA Pharmaceutical
AUCTUS Management portfolio company PharmaZell GmbH has acquired a controlling stake in GEA Pharmaceutical from Sandoz. GEA Pharmaceutical focuses on the development of solid finished dosage forms, offering all services related to pharmaceutical development...
EUROPE - EVCA changes address
EVCA (the European Private Equity & Venture Capital Association) moves to the centre of Brussels, close to the Parliament and Commission offices, at the end of this week. EVCAтs new address will be: Bastion Tower Place du Champ de Mars, 5 1050 BRUSSELS....
FINLAND - Bridgepoint portfolio company makes Belgium acquisition
Bridgepoint-owned A-Katsastus Oy, the Finnish vehicle inspection group, has acquired Belgium’s vehicle inspection company Autoveiligheid NV for an undisclosed sum. The company had net sales of nearly EUR 30m last year and carried out over 800,000 inspections....
SWEDEN - Litorina Kapital makes 4x on exit from SWE-DISH
Litorina Kapital has sold SWE-DISH Satellite Systems AB to Datapath Inc for $56m in cash. The deal has generated returns of 4x Litorina's investment. SWE-DISH is a supplier of mobile satellite communications equipment and related services for broadband...
EUROPE - H1 buyout deal volume up in UK and France, down in Germany
Buyout deal volume in France and the UK in H1 2007 was up on the figures for both 2005 and 2006, although German volume has slowed this year against 06. According to preliminary data from Unquote"/Private Equity Insight, 102 deals have been completed...
EUROPE - No end in sight for large buyouts
тDeal sizes are increasing more quickly than fund sizes,т said John Barber, managing partner at Citi Private Equity at a luncheon today. Though more prevalent in the US than in Europe, the phenomenon should allow the record fundraisings to find suitable...