UK / Ireland
UK - Graphite exits PIFC Group
Graphite Capital has realised its investment in PIFC Group, an employee benefits consultancy. The business has been acquired by Thinc Group Holdings Ltd, part of the AXA Group for an undisclosed sum. At the time of the sale, PIFC had reduced its pre-tax...
UK - Beringea invests £2m in MBO of The Vending Corporation
Beringea has completed the management buyout of The Vending Corporation, a distributor of chilled beverage and snack vending machines. Beringea invested £2m through ProVen VCT and ProVen Growth & Income VCT, for a significant minority equity stake. The...
UK - Lord Browne resigns from Apax
Lord Browne has resigned from his position as chairman of the Apax Partners Advisory Board to take a position with US private equity firm Riverstone Holdings. Browne, former BP chief executive, has joined Riverstone as managing director and managing partner...
UK - TPG strengthens bid for Jaguar and Land Rover
Texas Pacific Group has strengthened its bid in the auction for Ford's UK assets Jaguar and Land Rover by appointing Bob Dover as an adviser. Dover was former chief executive of Jaguar and Land Rover. Other bidders, One Equity Partners and Ripplewood...
UK - Bestport backs £6m buyout of Hotelscene
Bestport Ventures has backed the £6m buyout of corporate travel booking company Hotelscene Group Ltd. Bestport invested £1.75m in the deal alongside debt provided by HSBC.
UK - Amadeus supports $12.5m series-C round for Enigmatec
Existing investors Amadeus Capital Partners and Pentech Ventures have led a $12.5m series-C funding round for IT process automation company Enigmatec Corporation Ltd. New investor Herald Ventures and Kevin Lomax, formerly chairman of Misys have also invested...
UK - Close Ventures exits Bold Pub Company
Close Ventures has realised its investment in Bold Pub Company. The exit has generated a IRR in excess of 20% over Close Ventures' three year holding period. Calco Midlands has acquired the business.
GLOBAL - Carlyle postpones IPO
The Carlyle Group has put back plans for an IPO until 2008, David Rubenstein said in an interview with Financial Times Deutschland. He blamed the delay on the uncertainty in the debt and equity markets and also said that he expected one quarter of agreed...
UK - Duke Street considers re-acquiring Esporta
Duke Street Capital is one of a number of private equity firms considering a bid for Esporta, the chain of gyms placed in administration last week. Duke Street owned Esporta from 2002-2006 before selling it to funds managed by the Halabi family for an...
UK - Sagitus Partners backs MBO of kitchen and bathroom distributor
Sagitus Partners has backed the management buyout of kitchen and bathroom distributor James Theobald Ltd. The deal was supported by debt provided by Clydesdale Bank. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
UK - Protego Real Estate appoints Alexandra McGhee
Protego Real Estate Investors has appointed Alexandra McGhee as associate - business development. McGhee joins from Bank of Scotland’s Integrated Finance team. Prior to this, she worked at Henderson Global Investors as finance manager to its Pan-European...
UK - MMC Ventures invests £2.4m in Small World
MMC Ventures (MMC) has invested £2.4m in Small World Ltd, a money-transfer business operating along corridors between Western Europe and developing countries.
UK - Hotbed backs Intempo with £1.825m of growth capital
Hotbed has provided Intempo Digital Ltd, a digital radio and iPod docking company, with £1.825m of growth capital. The investment from Hotbed is part of a total £11.8m of new funding the company has secured, with Bank of Scotland providing working capital...
UK - Ingenious backs second album in £500,000 deal
Ingenious' two Music VCT funds have invested approximately £500,000 to back the second album of three-piece girl band Sirens. The deal is a joint venture with Kitchenware Records Ltd.
UK - BOSIF pulls out of running for Erinaceous
Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance has pulled out of the running to acquire Aim-listed property services company Erinaceous. BOSIF's offer had valued Erinaceous at approximately £320m. In the last month, BOSIF has acquired two other property services...
UK - Hammonds boosts private equity team with appointment of Mark Robson
Mark Robson has joined Hammonds as partner in its London office. Robson joins from Travers Smith, where he was a senior assistant in the private equity group within the firm’s corporate department. The new appointment to the private equity team at Hammonds,...
UK - South Yorkshire Investment Fund backs plastic packaging company
South Yorkshire Investment Fund has provided William Beckett Plastics, a specialised plastic packaging company for the cutting tool industry with £100,000 of growth capital funding.
UK - BOSIF backs £783m MBO of community regeneration specialist
Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance has backed the £783m management buyout of community regeneration specialist Keepmoat Plc. The privately held Plc was divested by private shareholders via an auction process run by Deloitte. Bridgepoint and 3i had previously...
UK - Blackstone eyes New Look
It is understood that New Look is likely to be acquired by Blackstone. Apax and Permira, New Look's current owners, are reported to be in talks with Blackstone about the deal. The news of a secondary buyout follows a pulled auction process earlier this...
UK - Bridges Ventures invests £1.35m in Sealskinz
Bridges Ventures has backed the management buyout of SealSkinz, a Norfolk-based manufacturer of unique waterproof socks and gloves designed for bikers and hikers. Bridges is investing £1.35m alongside a management team to buy the company from its parent...
UK - NorthStar provides £750,000 funding for Broadband Computer Company
North-East focused NorthStar Equity Investors has backed the Broadband Computer Company with an equity investment of £750,000. The company has developed the hardware and software to provide PC users with a new platform for managing and maintaining a...
UK - The Capital Fund in £250,000 Vision RT investment
The Capital Fund has backed Vision RT, a 3D surface imaging specialist for use in radiotherapy treatments, with £250,000 of funding. Vision RT was founded in 2001 to advance patient set-up and monitoring for radiotherapy treatment. The Capital Fund...
UK - Endless sells Peter Black for EUR 48m one year on
Just over twelve months on from its acquisition, Endless has sold Peter Black Limited International, a design, sourcing and supply chain management company, to Li & Fung Limited, a Hong Kong-listed trading house. The deal was valued at EUR 48m, excluding...