UK / Ireland
UK - Index leads $30m round for Viagogo
Index Ventures has led a $30m funding round for Viagogo, bringing its total venture backing so far to $50m. The company is an online ticket reseller. A number of private investors have also contributed to the fundraising round. Viagogo intends to break...
UK - Entries due by Friday for the the unquote” Awards
The deadline for the unquote” Private Equity Awards 2007 is THIS FRIDAY, 10 August. The event will be held on 28 November at The Royal Horticultural Halls in London, SW1P. Now in its third year, the evening brings together more than 500 industry professionals...
UK - Virgin Media auction delayed
The auction that would see Virgin Media taken private has reportedly been delayed. The communications group cited turbulence in the debt markets as the reason for the postponement. A deal may not now complete until early 2008.
UK - Morgan Stanley appoints Brian Magnus as joint European chief of $6bn buyout fund
Morgan Stanley has announced that Brian Magnus, its UK head of investment banking, is to join Graham Keniston-Cooper as joint European chief of its new buyout fund. The bank is planning a $6bn fund after a five year holiday from the buyout market - its...
UK - West Coast Capital has three days to make rival offer for Dobbies
West Coast Capital has been given three days by the Takeover Panel to make a rival offer for Dobbies. The Scottish gardening chain is currently the subject of a £15 per share recommended bid by Tesco. The UK retailing giant owns 32% of the shares with...
UK - Private equity set to reclaim struggling Esporta
Esporta is reported to be on the brink of going into administration. The gym chain was acquired by the Halabi family trust from Duke Street Capital in November 2006 for an undisclosed sum. It is understood debt worth £330m involved in Halabi's takeover...
UK - Enterprise Ventures completes further investment in Into Technology
Enterprise Ventures has completed a further investment in e-trading platform specialist Into Technology Holdings Ltd through its RisingStars Growth Fund. The £1.25m funding package included commitments from other existing investors North West Equity...
UK - Cambridge Angels backs ionscope with £680,000 funding round
Cambridge Angels Group has provided microscope technology company ionscope Ltd with £680,000 of funding. ionscope was formed by Imperial Innovations.
UK - Street Capital backs buyout of PCTI Solutions
Irish private equity investor Street Capital has backed the buyout of software business PCTI Solutions Ltd. PCTI is an electronic document management service provider to the UK primary healthcare sector.
UK - BOSIF participates in £925m acquisition of David Lloyd Leisure
Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance (BOSIF), together with London & Regional Properties (L&R), has provided an integrated debt and equity package to facilitate the Next Generation Clubs (NGC) £925m acquisition of David Lloyd Leisure Ltd (DLL) from Whitbread...
UK - Duke Street Capital completes delisting of CI Traders
Duke Street Capital and Europa Capital, the European real estate fund manager, have completed the acquisition of CI Traders through Sandpiper, a newly incorporated Jersey-based company. Based on the offer price of 100p per share in cash, CI Traders has...
UK - BPE exits Direct Group through £40m sale to LDC
Barclays Private Equity has sold Direct Group, a provider of corporate and affinity services to the insurance sector, to LDC for £40m. Direct Group provides a range of services to insurers and corporate partners, including policy administration and fulfilment,...
UK - Rutland to acquire Pulse Home Products for £51.5m
Rutland Partners is to acquire Pulse Home Products Ltd and the business of certain other domestic appliance brands from Alba Plc for £51.5m. The transaction is conditional, inter alia, on the approval of Alba shareholders at an EGM. Rutland is investing...
UK - BOSIF backs £410m SBO of Apollo from LDC
Bank of Scotland Corporate has backed the £410m secondary management buyout of property services company Apollo from LDC. Bank of Scotland provided an integrated debt and equity package to support the incumbent management team, which along with key employees,...
UK - FF&P takes majority stake in furnishings business Oka
Fleming Family & Partners Private Equity has acquired a majority stake in upmarket furnishings business Oka. The deal has enabled the founders of the Oxfordshire-based retailer to realise some value.
UK - Penta Capital exits Out of Town Restaurants
Penta Capital has sold Out of Town Restaurant Group (OTRG) to its former owner. The deal is reported to be worth less than £5m. Lawrence Wosskow founded OTRG in 1998 and has now re-acquired it.
UK - Graphite Capital backs £22m buyout of Third Space
Graphite Capital has backed the management buyout of a premier London health and fitness club, The Third Space Group, for £22m. Founded in June 2001, the Soho-based gym and health centre now has close to 4,300 members. Its facilities include a medical...
UK - Esprit joins forces with global venture firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), the Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm responsible for backing Hotmail and Skype in the past, has acquired a strategic stake in Esprit Capital Partners. Esprit will rebrand as ‘DFJ Esprit’ and members of DFJ’s...
UK - CIT announces senior appointments
CIT Group Inc has announced two senior level appointments within its London Commercial Finance business. Graham Randell has been promoted to senior managing director, CIT Commercial Finance Europe. He will continue to oversee the development and expansion...
UK - Unquote” Awards one more week to enter!
The deadline for the unquote” Private Equity Awards 2007 is next Friday, 10 August. The event will be held on 28 November at The Royal Horticultural Halls in London, SW1P. Now in its third year, the evening brings together more than 500 industry professionals...
UK - Phoenix bags sailing clothes maker Musto
Phoenix Equity Partners has acquired a majority stake in Musto, the specialist clothes business which caters for the sailing, equestrian, shooting and fishing communities. The deal values Musto at £40m. Musto has also developed a range of casual clothing...
UK - Midlands-based Wenham Major acquires HKM accountants
Wenham Major, the Birmingham-based accountancy firm founded 140 years ago, has acquired Leicester-based HKM accountants. The deal has created one of the largest independent accountancy and business advisory firms in the Midlands.
UK - Foresight exits Oasis Healthcare via sale of shares to Duke Street Capital
Duke Street Capital has acquired £8m worth of shares in AIM-listed dental care provider Oasis Healthcare Plc from Foresight Venture Partners. The deal generated a total return on investment of 5.1x for Foresight 3 VCT Plc. Duke Street Capital had been...
UK - CBCF appoints new MD for leisure and retail sector group
Close Brothers Corporate Finance has bolstered its senior management team, appointing Michael Dubois as the new managing director of its leisure and retail sector group.