UK / Ireland
GCP secures minority stake in Bridewell Consulting
Deal is the first investment for Growth Capital Partners Fund V, which was registered in Q3 last year
UK & Ireland Fundraising Pipeline - Q1 2021
Unquote rounds up the most notable fundraises currently ongoing in the UK & Ireland market across the buyout, venture and debt spaces
Capital Dynamics Global Secondaries V closes on $786m
Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of global secondaries interests in mid-market private equity funds
Aldea Ventures holds €60m first closing
Fund follows a hybrid strategy, investing both in small VC vehicles and technology startups
European fund launches off to slow start in 2021
Number of PE funds launched by European managers in Q1 this year is significantly down on the volume recorded for the same period in 2020
Carlyle Group to acquire End Clothing
Company founders will retain minority stakes while Index Ventures will exit
SEP sells Dotmatics to Insight Partners' Insightful Science
Scottish Equity Partners invested in the scientific informatics software in 2017
Lexington Co-Investment Partners V closes on $3.2bn
Fund focuses on co-investments alongside private equity sponsors, primarily in US and European companies
Inflexion sells Kynetec to Paine Schwartz Partners
Fourth exit in four months sees the GP net returns of more than 3x money and a 25% IRR
Riverside Europe VI closes on €465m
REF VI invests in European companies with high-growth potential, generating EBITDA of тЌ5-30m
The Deals Pipeline
A highlight of deal processes underway and involving PE, either on the buy- or sell-side, across Europe
Cairngorm Capital buys majority stake in Bromborough
GP plans to support geographical expansion and add-ons for the paint and wall coverings distributor
Target Global heads for Growth II final close
Fund will make series-B and -C investments; it has a target of тЌ400m and a hard-cap of тЌ600m
Commonfund Venture Partners XIII closes on $625m
CVP XIII plans to deploy the majority of its capital in established early-stage global venture capital funds
Palamon, Corsair in £165m dividend recap for Currencies Direct
GPs reportedly mandated William Blair in December 2020 to explore strategic options
LDC hires new origination director
Craig Hinde joins the firm's Midlands team from Inspired Thinking Group
Queen's Park Equity backs MBO of Encore Group
Founding partners Stephen Chard and Neil Robinson will also retain a stake in the business
Albion exits Berkley Care for 2.5x return
Sale ends a seven-year holding period for Albion, which initially invested ТЃ16m in the business
Ethos invests in People Value
In addition to the equity deployed by Ethos, Harwood Private Capital provides senior debt to support the deal
BC Partners acquires Davies
Existing investors, US-based PE firm HGGC and Canadian firm AimCo, will remain invested with minority stakes
Bowmark exits Oxford International in split deal
Schools division goes to Nord Anglia Education, while the rest of the business undergoes an MBO backed by THI
Inflexion backs The Goat Agency
Minority deal is the fifth transaction announced by Inflexion in March alone
CBPE sells Xceptor to Astorg for 10.8x return
Sale ends a four-year holding period for CBPE, which bought a majority stake in Xceptor from SVG Capital
Bridges acquires ethical homeware brand Nkuku
Bridges invests in the business via its Sustainable Growth Funds, alongside the founders