UK / Ireland
UK - Gresham backs £110m+ SBO of Betts
Gresham Private Equity has backed the secondary buyout of toothpaste tube manufacturer Betts Global Ltd from Permira, Royal Bank of Scotland and the Bank of Scotland in a deal with a total funding package in excess of £110m. CIT Capital Finance has arranged...
UK - AAC acquires majority stake in publisher Ocean Media
AAC Capital Partners has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Ocean Media Limited, the magazine publisher and exhibition organiser, from its current management team and institutional backers led by the Dublin-based private equity firm, Ion Equity. Completion...
UK - Barclays Private Equity completes £75.5m Hydrasun buyout
Barclays Private Equity has completed the £75.5m management buyout of hose and fitting company Hydrasun Group Ltd. Barclays provided bank debt to support the deal, which represents BPE's second since the onset of the credit squeeze in the summer. It...
EUROPE - WINNERS ANNOUNCED for Deutsche unquote” Private Equity Awards
Deutsche unquote” is delighted to announce the winners of the first ever awards for German Private Equity, held last night at the Renaissance Zurich Hotel, Zurich. The inaugural event immediately followed on from a day-long Congress dedicated to discussing...
UK - Henderson strengthens infrastructure team
Henderson Equity Partners has expanded its infrastructure team with the appointment of Jasvinder Bal, Michael Jaffe and Chris Tanner as principal.
UK - Sovereign makes Dependable portfolio acquisition
Sovereign Capital has led the acquisition of cleaning company Dependable Services Ltd on behalf of portfolio company London Property Maintenance Ltd (LPM), a provider of contract cleaning security and maintenance services, for an undisclosed sum.
EUROPE - Private equity beware the peeping Toms
In today's environment of increasing calls for transparency, one must discern between reasonable requests for information, and those that simply satisfy curiosity or are driven by an ideological agenda, according to Allianz Capital Partners CEO Thomas...
EUROPE - EVCA concerns over Walker review
EVCA has responded forcefully to the ending of Sir David Walker's consultation period into transparency and disclosure in UK private equity.
UK - Gresham acquires West Cornwall Pasty Co.
Gresham has backed the buyout of West Cornwall Pasty Company (WCPCo) from its shareholders. Debt facilities were provided by Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets.
UK – Pre-Budget Report: Darling’s folly
The 80% increase in the capital gains rate and the abolition of taper relief announced yesterday by Chancellor Alistair Darling was a decidedly unimaginative and populist measure. Surprisingly, it also happened to be a net tax raiser. The establishment...
UK - Zeus appoints new executive
Zeus Capital has hired Tom Rowley as a corporate finance executive for its Manchester office. Rowley joins the team of corporate finance specialists from Deloitte in Sydney, Australia.
UK - ETF leads £5m investment in Perpetuum
Environmental Technologies Fund (ETF) has led a £5m series-B funding round in Perpetuum, a manufacturer of vibration energy harvesting devices.
UK - Sovereign appoints new assistant director
Sovereign Capital has appointed Neil Cox as assistant director, bringing its investment team to 17.
UK - US private equity groups circle Northern Rock
US private equity group Lone Star is thought to be interested in Northern Rock, the beleaguered Newcastle-based bank. Lone Star joins a host of US buyout firms also thought to be sniffing around. JC Flowers is already carrying out due diligence on the...
UK - Inflexion acquires Orchard Electronic on behalf of portfolio company Aspen
Inflexion Private Equity has completed the acquisition of printed circuit board manufacturer Orchard Electronic on behalf of portfolio company Aspen Pumps, a producer of condensate pumps, for an undisclosed sum.
UK - Pension disagreement to overturn Sainsburys deal for a second time?
Failure to reach an agreement with the trustees of Sainsbury's pension fund is threatening to scupper Delta Two's potential takeover of the supermarket chain. It is understood the trustees are asking for an additional £1.75bn, £750m more than Delta...
EUROPE – THIS THURSDAY - Deutsche unquote” Congress & Awards – 11 October
unquote” is delighted to announce its second annual Deutsche unquote” Private Equity Congress & Awards this Thursday, 11 October 2007, in Zurich. The Congress brings together industry experts to discuss how to stay ahead of the game in this dynamic...
UK - Infexion hires new investment executive
Inflexion Private Equity has announced the appointment of Nicola Boyd as investment executive.
UK - 3i increases stake in AES Engineering to 40%
3i has made a further investment in AES Engineering Ltd, the holding company of the AESSEAL Group, a mechanical sealing business. 3i first invested in AES in 1996. This secondary investment increases its equity stake to 40% and values the business at...
UK - Index of listed private equity vehicles launched
An index of UK-listed private equity vehicles has been launched by LPX, the Swiss-based publisher of research and indices on global listed private equity. The news brings the total number of LPX listed private equity indices, covering global and regional...
UK - DLJ appoints new industry partner
DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, private equity investment affiliate of Credit Suisse, has announced the appointment of Barry Wilson as its healthcare industry partner.
UK - Government pledges further £1bn to boost science and innovation
The UK government has pledged a further £1bn of funding as part of a new development strategy aimed at driving improvement in UK science and innovation.
UK - Katalyst-backed E-Therapeutics to float on AIM
Drug discovery company E-Therapeutics is planning a flotation on AIM later this month. The Newcastle-based company, which counts new therapy candidates in 11 clinical areas including MRSA, asthma and diabetes amongst its portfolio, is backed by Katalyst...
UK - LDC exits Aqualux in £23.4m deal
LDC has sold its share in Aqualux Products Holding Ltd, a producer of shower enclosures and bath screens, in a sale to AFG Arbonia-Forster Holding AG worth £23.4m.