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:
UK & Ireland DACH Nordic France Southern Europe Benelux CEE
UK - Finance Wales and Biofusion lead £2m investment in Q Chip
Finance Wales and AIM-listed Biofusion have entered into their first partnership deal as part of a ТЃ2m funding round for Q Chip Ltd. Cardiff-based Q Chip is a developer of microencapsulation solutions.
UK - Grant Thornton handles the administration of Esporta
Grant Thornton has been appointed to handle the administration of Esporta, the gym chain acquired by the Halabi family from Duke Street Capital in 2006. Private equity firms are queuing up to buy the asset. Potential buyers include MidOcean Partners,...
AUSTRIA –Leobersdorfer Maschinenfabrik changes hands
Invest Equity and Nord Holding have exited their stakes in manufacturer of high pressure compressor systems, Leobersdorfer Maschinenfabrik AG, for an undisclosed amount to Equita. RW Baird & Co ran the auction process.
CEE - Darby closes EUR 300m Central Europe mezzanine fund
Darby Overseas Investments, the private equity arm of Franklin Templeton Investments, has closed its Darby Converging Europe Mezzanine Fund (DCEMF) with total capital commitments of EUR 248m. After the expected refinancing of a EUR 65m bridge loan, the...
UK - Delta Two prepares to boost equity in Sainsburys deal
Delta Two is preparing to boost the equity involved in its 600p per share indicative offer for supermarket chain Sainsburys. After reports that the Sainsbury family, who's stake in the business totals 18%, were unhappy about the level of leverage at play...
SWITZERLAND - Molecular Partners AG raises CHF 18.5m
Index Ventures has led a CHF 18.5m series-A financing round for biotechnology company Molecular Partners AG. Other investors contributing to the round include BB Biotech Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation and Endeavour.
GERMANY - DZ Equity Partners invests in MK Metallfolien GmbH
Frankfurt-based DZ Equity Partners has acquired a minority stake in MK Metallfolien GmbH. The transaction value has not been disclosed. The founder of the company, Gerd Cloppenburg, remains invested and holds a majority stake. The new capital will be...
UK - Liverpool Seed Fund backs EditLite with £300,000 funding round
Liverpool Seed Fund has invested ТЃ300,000 in EditLite Ltd. EditLite has developed software called тYourViewт which uses simple graphic icons to edit video footage. The software, which has a number of worldwide patents, enables the user to filter hundreds...
NL - Rabo Participaties backs secondary buyout of Itho
Rabo Participaties and the management of Itho Holding B.V. have acquired all of the shares in the company via a secondary management buyout. Rabo Participaties has acquired a majority interest. Alpinvest has sold its interest in the company.
SPAIN - New technology leads demand for seed capital
Around 40% of projects landing Spanish seed investment originate from the so-called "new technology" sector.
SPAIN - SRP invests EUR 3.4m in solar energy player
Government-backed agency Sociedad Regional de Promoción del Principado de Asturias (SRP) has led a funding round of EUR 3.4m for Rioglass Solar.
FRANCE - Carlyle sells Cameca to Ametek for EUR 82m
Carlyle has sold France-based scientific equipment manufacturer Cameca to NYSE-listed Ametek for EUR 82m.
UK - BVCA approaches ex-FT editor
According to The Sunday Times, the BVCA has offered Andrew Gowers, former editor of the Financial Times, the job of chief executive. The news comes just a few days after Mark Fox, director of communications, announced he was leaving to take up the role...
UK - Creative Ventures backs TNWA Group
Creative Ventures has invested in TNWA Group, a leading developer of a new online multiplayer gaming platform. The funding provided by Creative Ventures has enabled TWNA to acquire Enemy Down, a leading destination for Europeтs competitive PC gamers....
UK - Delta Two must inject more equity to have a chance with Sainsburys
Delta Two has been told it must be prepared to put in more equity if it wants to have a chance of acquiring Sainsburys, the UK supermarket chain. London-listed Sainsbury is 18% held by the Sainsbury family who are demanding assurances that Delta Two will...
UK - Somerfield £1bn refinancing scrapped
Apax Partners and Barclays Capital's intended ТЃ1bn recapitalisation of portfolio company Somerfield has been shelved due to stagnation in the debt markets. The deal would have enabled Apax, Barclays and property entrepeneur Robert Tchenguiz to realise...
UK - Oxford Capital Partners backs Glide Pharma with £2.3m
Oxford Capital Partners has joined existing investors on a ТЃ2.3m funding round for Glide PharmaTM, the specialty pharmaceutical company developing products based on its innovative needle-free Glide SDIтЂ drug delivery system. Existing shareholders include...
UK - Exponent acquires Cardsave from RJD, Morley Fund Managers and LDC
Exponent Private Equity has acquired Cardsave, a supplier of credit card terminals and services to independent retailers. The company was bought from a consortium of shareholders which included RJD Partners, Morley Fund Management and LDC. Lloyds TSB...
UK - Bowmark acquires Las Iguanas from Piper Private Equity for £27m
Bowmark Capital has acquired Las Iguanas, a chain of Latin American restaurants, in a ТЃ27m buyout. The transaction provided an exit for Piper Private Equity, which invested ТЃ3.4m in the business in July 2002. Piper has reaped returns of 6x its investment...
GERMANY - VTC Industrieholding exits TAKRAF
German industrial group VTC Industrieholding GmbH has announced the sale of TAKRAF GmbH to Milan-based Tenova, a fully-owned subsidiary of Techint Group. The deal value has not been disclosed and the transaction is subject to the approval by antitrust...
UK - MVM backs new spinout Heptares Therapeutics
MVM Life Science Partners has provided Heptares Therapeutics with an undisclosed sum of early-stage funding. Heptares has spunout of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge.
UK - Moulton sets standard for charitable giving
Jon Moulton of Alchemy Partners has made a private investment of ТЃ12m in Winthrop Hall, a new centre for treatment and research into drug and alcohol addiction which is scheduled to open on 8th October. Winthrop will offer clients an initial six-week,...
UK - West Coast Capital loses out on Dobbies
Tesco looks set to secure Dobbies, the Scottish gardening chain listed on AIM. The ТЃ155.6m deal represents a 45x price/earnings multiple. The deal, subject to further Dobbies shareholders accepting the offer, is a blow for West Coast Capital which decided...
UK - Mark Fox to leave BVCA
Mark Fox, currently director of Communications & Public Affairs at the BVCA, is leaving the organisation in October 2007. He will take up the position of chief executive of the Business Services Association from November.