UK / Ireland
BLP's PE head joins Jones Day
Law firm Jones Day has appointed Raymond McKeeve as a partner and member of the firm’s private equity practice.
BGF invests £2.25m in Abacus e-Media
The Business Growth Fund (BGF) has invested £2.25m in UK content management system provider Abacus e-Media.
CVC acquires Skrill in €600m SBO
CVC Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in global payments provider Skrill from Investcorp for €600m, which reaped an 8x return on its investment.
House of Fraser mulls listing
House of Fraser, the department store controlled by West Coast Capital, Lloyds Banking Group and representatives of failed Icelandic banks, is considering a public listing.
GMT hires Jonny Maxwell
Jonny Maxwell, GMT
Banc Sabadell sells Grafos after 11 years
Spanish banking group Banc Sabadell has divested the stake in graphic products firm Grafos it held via its private equity arm Aurica XXI.
Catapult hires Lowe
Jonathan Lowe, Catapult Venture Managers
Hellman & Friedman in Wood Mackenzie dividend recap
Hellman & Friedman has secured a dividend recap for UK-based consultancy Wood Mackenzie, according to reports.
Bregal buys Ideal Stelrad despite RBS backlash
Bregal Capital has acquired boiler and radiator company Ideal Stelrad, despite attempts by RBS to block the £230m deal.
Maven appointed manager of GMLF
Maven Capital Partners has been appointed sole fund manager of the £20m Greater Manchester Loan Fund (GMLF).
Lyceum buys Isotrak from Saints Chamonix
Lyceum Capital has acquired Isotrak, a provider of vehicle tracking and fleet management software, from Saints Chamonix Private Equity in a secondary buyout.
Countrywide backers in £200m partial sale
Two backers of listed UK estate agent Countrywide, Oaktree Capital Management and Apollo Management, have sold approximately £200m of their shares on the LSE.
Hengeler Mueller PE partner relocates to London
German law firm Hengeler Mueller has transferred one of its private equity partners, Steffen Oppenländer, to its London office.
Dunedin achieves 2.8x return on Practice Plan exit
Dunedin has sold dental membership business Practice Plan Group to Wesleyan Assurance Society, generating a 2.8x return on its investment.
Rexam healthcare packaging unit attracts private equity
Packaging giant Rexam has initiated a sale process for its healthcare packaging division, which could fetch around £650m.
Better Capital raises £185.6m
Better Capital has raised £185.6m via a share issuance for the firm’s 2012 Cell, listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.
Sovereign Capital's Christchurch Group buys Hunters Moor
Christchurch Group, a neurological rehabilitation platform backed by Sovereign Capital, has bought Hunters Moor, also a provider of neurological rehabilitation services.
Sector focus: can UK manufacturing catch up with Germany?
Germany has long set the standard for manufacturing in Europe but, as the continent picks itself up from the financial downturn, does the UK have the potential to knock Germany off its top spot? Alice Murray investigates
BGF's York Mailing in bolt-on
BGF-backed York Mailing has acquired The Lettershop Group (TLG), a UK print marketing and mailing solutions provider.
Patron injects €150m into Generator
Patron Capital has invested a further €150m into hostel business Generator to support its acquisition of sites in Paris and Rome.
LDC backs MBO of uSwitch.com
LDC has acquired a significant stake in uSwitch.com, a UK-based price comparison site, as part of a management buyout.
SVG enjoys 23% NAV boost in H1
SVG Capital has reported a 23% uplift in net asset value (NAV) in its half-year results, with shares now trading at 480p.
Whitworths set for tertiary deal
Food company Whitworths looks set to fall into the hands of a third private equity owner as current backer European Capital seeks an exit.
Pembroke gives La Bottega a boost
Pembroke Venture Capital Trust, a listed vehicle managed by Oakley Capital, has made an equity injection of £960,000 into delicatessen chain La Bottega.