UK / Ireland
Europe/US - Peter Schweinfurth launches Gulf + Eastern Advisors firm
Private equity professional Peter Schweinfurth has formed private merchant advisory firm Gulf + Eastern Advisors.
UK- Longbow Capital launches venture fund for Sipp investors
Healthcare venture specialist Longbow Capital has launched a venture fund designed for self-invested personal pension (Sipp) holders.
UK- RCapital buys distressed Morses Club
Private investment boutique RCapital has acquired home collected credit provider Morses Club from Ernst & Young's administrators of London Scottish Finance Limited for an undisclosed sum.
EUROPE - Private equity and SWFs circle GM Europe
According to reports, sovereign wealth funds and private equity firms are showing an interest to acquire a stake in the European business of US carmaker General Motors.
EUROPE - Charterhouse closes ninth fund on EUR 4bn
Private equity firm Charterhouse has closed its latest buyout fund, Charterhouse Capital Partners IX, on EUR 4bn - EUR 2bn short of its target.
UK - LCA provides £500,000 follow-on funding to Proven Energy
Low Carbon Accelerator (LCA), managed by Low Carbon Investors, has invested a further £500,000 into wind turbine manufacturer Proven Energy Ltd, increasing its equity holding in the business to 49.8%.
UK - Candover-backed Wood Mackenzie on the block
Reports suggest that Candover has mandated Goldman Sachs to find a buyer for energy consultancy company Wood Mackenzie, with the price tag thought to be around £650m.
UK - BPE to buy Kaboose's UK operations in £54m deal
Barclays Private Equity has agreed to acquire Canadian family-focused online media company Kaboose's UK business, Bounty Group Ltd, in a deal valued at £54m.
UK/US - GTCR- backed Boomerang buys Entertainment Rights
Boomerang Media, a media solutions company backed by chicago-based private equity firm GTCR, has acquired the US and UK operations of Entertainment Rights, the company that owns the licensing rights to children characters such as Postman Pat and George...
UK - HitecVision completes Noble exit
Norwegian energy-focused private equity group HiTecVision has exited its invesment in marine and engineering consultancy service Noble Dentonthrough a trade sale to international technical assurance business Germanischer Lloyd for an undisclosed sum.
UK - EQT-backed SSP in danger of breaching covenants
Reports suggest that rail station caterer Select Service Partner (SSP) is in talks with its lenders, as falling commuter numbers have led to concerns that the company will breach the covenants on its £1bn debt.
UK watch period to end March 2009
First quarter 2009: a chronic shortage of deals
The cost of protection
The UK Government's asset protection scheme is designed to boost confidence in the banking sector, but its restrictions may adversely impact private equity houses looking to restructure portfolio company debt. Ashley Wassall reports