Southern Europe
SPAIN/UK - Palamon adds Morgan Stanley banker to its Spanish team
Pan-European private equity firm Palamon Capital Partners has hired former Morgan Stanley executive director Jaime Enrique Hugas to strenghten its activities in Spain.
ITALY - Alto Partners exit fashion business Gruppo Arcte
Fund Alto Capital II - managed by private equity firm Alto Partners - has announced the sale of its 90% stake in Gruppo Arcte to the Mariella Burani Group. The buyer is one of the largest Italian luxury groups, with a market capitalisation on the Italian...
SPAIN/FRANCE - CVC goes solo for Altadis bid
Following recent rumours of disagreements between CVC and PAI Partners in relation to their joint bid for tobacco business Altadis, CVC is said to be preparing an offer on its own.
SPAIN/ITALY - TPG focuses on Iberia after failing to buy Alitalia and Qantas
Texas Pacific Group (TPG) is expected to focus all its efforts on the prospective acquisition of Iberia, after the US buyout house pulled out of the competition for both Alitalia and Australian carrier Qantas yesterday.
SPAIN - Clave Mayor acquires stake in audiovisual business
Following the recent wave of interest in audiovisual businesses by Spanish players, Clave Mayor has acquired a 40% stake in sector player Comercial de Contenidos Audiovisuales 2007. The company intends to position itself as the reference provider of audiovisual...
SPAIN/FRANCE - CVC and PAI on row over Altadis split
Rumour has it that CVC and PAI Partners are in disagreement over how the two private equity firms will split control of the tobacco business.
SPAIN - Valcapital takes 30% stake in Domélite
Private equity firm Valcapital has taken a minority stake via a capital increase in Domélite, a company specialised in remote control systems for domestic use. It is understood that the deal is worth around EUR 300,000.
ITALY - Michele Russo buys majority stake in Opera
Michele Russo, the frontman of Doughty Hanson in Italy, has reportedly acquired 75% of luxury goods fund Opera from its management and fashion house Bulgari.
ITALY - MPS Venture supports recovery of Arquati
MPS Venture has taken a 15% stake via a capital increase in Arquati SpA, a group specialised in the design and manufacture of picture frame moulding and products for the window covering industry.
ITALY - Rainone promoted at PM&Partners; two managers take the backseat
Private equity firm PM&Partners has just appointed senior manager Riccardo Rainone as the firm's fourth partner.
ITALY - Private Equity Partners acquires stake in incentive travel business
Private Equity Partners is reported to have acquired a minority stake in Alessandro Rosso, a company active in the field of incentive travel and meeting organisation.
EUROPE - European venture performance takes off
The returns from European venture have never been better, with new performance figures now exceeding even the lofty heights seen in 2001. “The GPs left in this space are the cream that has risen to the top,” says Charles Irving at Pond Ventures. “It...
EUROPE - European venture performance takes off
The returns from European venture have never been better, with new performance figures now exceeding even the lofty heights seen in 2001. “The GPs left in this space are the cream that has risen to the top,” says Charles Irving at Pond Ventures. “It...
ITALY - SEAT Pagine Gialle on the lookout for buyers
Following months of speculation about the future of SEAT Pagine Gialle, press reports suggest that the directories business is up for sale. Rumour has it that Lehman Brothers has been hired by the private equity consortium (comprising of Permira, CVC...
WORLD - Blackstone in $3bn Chinese coup
When Blackstone announced it was to list on the NYSE, it provoked much discussion, but few mused over its potential impact on Chinese-US relations. Unsuprisingly, no one foresaw China's announcement that it will invest $3bn of its $1.2 trillion foreign...
SPAIN - Clave Mayor backs software development house
Venture firm Clave Mayor has invested EUR 1m of its fund Punto Futuro in software developer Futura Acorp.
EUROPE - Private equity to take the stand
The Commons Treasury Select Committee in the UK has summoned five of Europe ’s biggest private equity chiefs to attend a meeting on 20 June, which as been called a sort of ‘public hearing’ in a report in today’s Financial Times. The industry...
EUROPE - Bear Stearns joins iPEIT club
The Initiative for Private Equity Investment Trusts ( iPEIT ) now names Bear Stearns Private Equity Limited as one of its members, bringing the total number of PEITs under the umbrella organisation to 11. Bear Stearns is a listed fund of funds that...
EUROPE - WINNERS ANNOUNCED for unquote” Central & Eastern European Awards
Unquote” is delighted to announce the winners of the first ever awards for Central & Eastern European Private Equity, held last night at One Whitehall Place, London. The inaugural event, held in association with EBRD and sponsored by Clifford Chance,...
SPAIN - Dinamia makes profit of EUR 18.2m from Capital Safety exit
Dinamia Capital Privado has sold the 8.16% stake it had in Capital Safety Group to Candover for around EUR 21m, realising a profit of approximately EUR 18.2m for investors.
ITALY - Permira buys stake in Valentino for EUR 783m
Permira has acquired a 29.6% stake in fashion house Valentino for EUR 782.6m.
EUROPE - Carlyle in Euronext placing
The Carlyle Group is to place shares of its Guernsey-based affiliate Carlyle Capital Corporation on Euronext Amsterdam later this year, the buyout house said in a statement.
EUROPE - Male gender prevails in venture-backed companies
Around 95% of the CEOs in venture-backed companies across Europe are men, according to a study carried out by Library House. However, the data shows that companies run by women appear to perform ahead of their male peers. Out of 600 venture-backed companies...
WORLD - KKR cashes in with 44% of global deal volume
KKR has eclipsed its rivals so far this year, claiming a 44.1% share of global deal volume, over double its 20% share since the beginning of 2004. The value of these deals was more than it recorded in 2005 and 2006 combined. This includes the £10.1bn...