UK / Ireland
Giza Venture Capital closes Polish fund
Israel-based Giza Venture Capital has closed its Giza Polish Ventures fund on $30m, according to recent media reports.
LDC hires new North West investment director
Simon Braham has been appointed as an investment director at LDC’s Manchester office.
CalPERS appoints CRO
The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) has appointed Larry Jensen as chief risk officer, a new position.
UK & Ireland unquote" 7 March 2011
An undisclosed private equity firm has teamed up with Irish food group Greencore to prepare a bid for Northern Foods, the company that makes Fox's biscuits and Goodfellas pizzas.
Challenges in Fund Raising - Implementing Successful Strategies
The myriad fund launches expected for this year will need to demonstrate cohesion, distinction, LP-friendly terms and structures in line with new regulations.
Latest UK unquote" out now!
The March 7th edition of UK & Ireland unquote" brings you up to date with all deal activity in the region in the past fortnight.
3i exits Frozen Value via management buy-back
UK buyout giant 3i has exited discount grocery retail chain Frozen Value via a management buy-back.
Financial modelling: Looking into the future
Banks have become more selective in providing debt financing following the worst financial crisis in living memory. Being able to predict what the future holds has therefore become more important and a high quality forecast model can improve confidence...
Barclays set to sell £500m of PE fund stakes
Barclays is planning to sell more than £500m of stakes it has amassed in private equity funds, according to reports.
PAI Partners sells Kwik-Fit for £637m
PAI has sold car repair business Kwik-Fit to Japanese corporation Itochu for £637m.
Wellington Partners backs Artfinder
Wellington Partners has led an investment in online service provider Artfinder. US-based Greylock Discovery Fund and angel investor Sherry Coutu also participated in the first round funding.
Yorkshire Bank appoints director in Corporate & Structured Finance team
Yorkshire Bank Corporate & Structured Finance has appointed Phil Tarimo as area director of new business covering the North West and Midlands.
Milestone Capital generates 3.7x return on Coffee Nation sale
Milestone Capital has sold UK-based Coffee Nation, a producer of coffee vending machines, to Costa Limited for £59.5m.
Electra buys Riverside's Sentinel in SBO
Electra Partners has acquired Sentinel Performance Solutions from Riverside in a £43m secondary buyout.
BDC-backed Lumison acquires Blue Square Data
Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC) portfolio company Lumison has acquired UK data centres operator Blue Square Data for £22m.
Nova Capital sells ABSL to Enersys
Nova Capital Management has exited British power solutions designer ABSL in a trade sale to US corporation Enersys.
Vitruvian Partners back MBO of IMD
Lausanne Acquisitions, a bid vehicle funded by Vitruvian Partners, have backed the MBO of Independent Media Distribution.
Michael Rice joins Endless
Turnaround investor Endless has appointed Michael Rice as an investment executive. The announcement takes the company’s team to 17 investment professionals.
Foresight Group expands its solar team
Ricardo Piñeiro has joined Foresight Group's solar investment team as an investment manager.
Kirkland & Ellis has two new partners
Kirkland & Ellis International has expanded its European antitrust and competition practice group by adding partners Shaun Goodman and Sarah Jordan to its London office.
LDC's Darryl Eales on the UK mid-market
Emanuel Eftimiu speaks to LDC CEO Darryl Eales about the latest developments in the UK mid-market, and gives his views on what 2011 will bring.
NBGI backs MBO of Facilities Services Group
NBGI Private Equity has acquired a majority stake in UK-based Facilities Service Group (FSG) for £9m.
Privet Capital acquires HWA Group Ltd
Privet Capital has acquired specialist building contractor HWA Group Ltd for an undisclosed sum.
Germany: Public venture funds providing the seeds of growth
The German seed capital market is a quiet one, with only a few seed funding investors currently active in the country. Much of the seed funding received by German start-ups today comes from government-backed funds and business angels. Diana Petrowicz...