Region
Unquote has a long history of delivering in-depth coverage for each European market, from individual deals to fundraising and region-specific trend analysis. Click on the following links to access content for a specific region:
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UK - Candover poised to acquire stake in Towergate
Candover is in talks with Towergate about acquiring a 25% stake in the company. Candover previously backed Towergate founder Peter Cullum in a management buyout of Economic Insurance in 1994. According to reports, Candover could pay up to ТЃ850m for the...
FRANCE – Chequers Capital strengthens team
Chequers Capital has appointed four new associates. Axelle Dumousset and Xavier Morion both previously worked in the structured finance department of Société Générale since 2005. Xavier Poitevineau was previously working in BNP Paribas’ M&A and corporate...
FRANCE - Pragma Capital closes second fund on EUR 345m
Pragma Capital has closed its second fund Pragma II on EUR 345m. The fund exceeded its target by EUR 45m. It will seek to invest between EUR 10m and 35m in companies with a value of between EUR 50m and EUR 250m.
UK - Close Ventures invests £1.5m in Opta Sportsdata
Close Ventures has invested ТЃ1.5m into Opta Sportsdata Ltd (trading as Opta), a European provider of sports data and analysis to media companies. The investment will be used to help grow sales in the existing business in the UK and the rest of Europe....
UK - Graphite acquires Kurt Geiger from BPE for £95m
Graphite Capital has acquired shoe retailer Kurt Geiger from Barclays Private Equity (BPE) for ТЃ95m. BPE had owned Kurt Geiger since Summer 2005 when it paid ТЃ46m for the business. Lloyds TSB and Royal Bank of Scotland provided a debt package to support...
Voluntary surveys not enough
The Economic Impact of Private Equity in the UK, an annual survey commissioned by the BVCA has just been published. Last year at the Treasury Select Committee hearings, a number of trade union representatives grumbled about the lack of evidence that private...
UK - Parish Capital hires Catherine Lewis La Torre as venture partner
Parish Capital Advisors has expanded its capabilities in Europe with the hiring of Catherine Lewis La Torre. Lewis La Torre, formerly a co-founder of the Finnish fund-of-funds group Proventure, has joined Parish Capital as a venture partner.
DENMARK - Sunstone and Creandum lead $10m investment in IPtronics
Sunstone Capital and Creandum have together led a $10.25m series-B round in IPtronics, a Danish semiconductor business.
FRANCE – Innovacom invests EUR 2m in Dimelo
Innovacom has invested EUR 2m in Dimelo through its fund Innovacom for a minority share of the company.
UK - Terra Firma and Suez to challenge Montagu takeover of Biffa?
Terra Firma and trade player Suez could mount a last minute takeover bid for waste disposal business Biffa. London-listed Biffa's board recommended a 350p per share offer from Montagu Private Equity and Global Infrastructure Partners earlier this month....
UK - Finance Wales invests £500,000 funding round in pharmaceuticals business
Finance Wales has backed a ТЃ500,000 fundraising round for Dee Pharmaceuticals. Dee, based in Wrexham, North Wales, specialises in the sale and marketing of branded prescription pharmaceuticals with particular focus on the misuse of substances of abuse...
ITALY/SPAIN - Investindustrial reaches final closing on EUR 1bn
Investindustrial has reached the close of its fourth fund, Investindustrial IV LP, on EUR 1bn, EUR 200m over the initial target. The fundraising was completed in a record three month period.
UK - Bridgepoint eats up Prêt for £345m and divests Concentric
Bridgepoint has confirmed that it has acquired sandwich chain PrУЊt A Manger in a deal reported to weigh in at ТЃ345m. The investor has also announced that it has sold Concentric, an engineering company it has owned for ten years. Concentric has been...
SWITZERLAND - Lion Capital acquires 32% stake in Hiestand
Lion Capital has agreed to acquire a 32% stake in Hiestand Holding AG, a publicly-traded company listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange. The Hiestand Group is an international service provider of convenience deep-frozen bakery products, in Switzerland, Germany,...
ITALY - First Capital to invest in listed SMEs
First Capital is a new independent investment company set to invest in listed SMEs or pre-IPO companies following a private equity analysis model.
UK - Graphite portfolio company AMS buys Capital Consulting
Graphite Capital-backed Alexander Mann Solutions (AMS) is buying Capital Consulting, consolidating AMSт leading position in the European market for recruitment process outsourcing (RPO). AMS is the largest independent provider of RPO solutions to blue-chip...
FINLAND - Borenius & Kemppinen announces three promotions
Borenius & Kemppinen has announced three promotions in its tax division.