UK / Ireland
EUROPE – Kenneth Leet to lead European Investment Team of Cerberus
Cerberus Capital Management has announced that Kenneth H M Leet has joined Cerberus European Capital Advisors as president. Leet’s previous positions include an 18-year tenure as partner in the investment banking division at Goldman Sachs.
UK - Enterprise Ventures invests £600,000 in Student Resources Ltd
Enterprise Ventures has completed a £600,000 investment in Student Resources Ltd via the Coalfields Enterprise Fund.
IRELAND - Setanta to receive Doughty Hanson investment
Market sources report that the Irish-headquartered broadcaster Setanta Sports which owns the rights to two of the six Premiership packages available is to receive an investment from Doughty Hanson alongside debt funding provided by Goldman Sachs. The...
UK - Oxford Capital Partners participates in £5m series-A funding for OrthoMimetics
Oxford Capital Partners has announced its investment in OrthoMimetics Limited, the first technology spin-out from the Cambridge-MIT Institute (CMI). Oxford Capital Partners joins a syndicate of investors including Schroders Investment Management Ltd,...
UK - 3i-backed Salamander Energy in $405m IPO
3i portfolio investment Salamander Energy has been listed on the London Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of $405m. Salamander Energy Plc is an upstream oil and gas exploration and production company focused on South East Asia. 3i invested $22.6m...
UK - Electra Private Equity announces preliminary results
Electra Private Equity Plc has announced its preliminary results for the year ended 30 September 2006 following the decision of its board to return to full investment of capital resources in private equity in October of this year.
UK - Aberdeen Asset Managers Private Equity backs £19.1m MBO of Purac
Aberdeen Asset Managers Private Equity has backed the £19.1m management buyout of Purac Ltd, a process engineering specialist, from AWG Plc. Aberdeen provided the equity funding with the Bank of Ireland providing a debt package including senior, working...
UK - ISIS backs ILS acquisition of Home Concern
ISIS has provided its portfolio company Independent Living Services Ltd (ILS) with additional funds to enable it to acquire Home Concern (Scotland) Ltd. The combined company will be one of the largest providers of care at home services in Scotland with...
UK - LDC backs EUR 63m MBO of Anglo-Dutch corporate travel and event management firm
LDC has invested EUR 24m as part of a EUR 63m management buyout of ATP, an Anglo-Dutch corporate travel and event management firm formerly a subsidiary of Dutch investment company Reggeborgh. Lloyds TSB Acquisition Finance provided senior debt and revolving...
UK - Langholm Capital floats Just Retirement
The IPO of Just Retirement has allowed Langholm Capital to partially exit its investment. Unconditional trading in the shares on AIM begun this morning since when its share price has risen to 198p, giving the company a market capitalisation of £581m...
UK - Lion Capital portfolio company La Senza acquires Contessa
The holding company of La Senza Ltd, a Lion Capital portfolio company, has acquired Contessa for an undisclosed sum in a transaction that closed over the weekend. Lion Capital acquired lingerie retailer La Senza in a deal of undisclosed value in July...
UK - NGBI Private Equity backs £14m MBO of Change Recruitment Group
NBGI Private Equity (NBGI PE) has backed the £14m management buyout of Change Recruitment Group, an independent, Scotland-based recruitment consultancy.
UK - Inflexion Private Equity backs £13m buyout of Autocruise
Inflexion Private Equity has led the £13m buyout of Autocruise, a leading manufacturer of motorhomes in the UK. Inflexion-managed funds invested £5.9m to take a majority stake in the company. Royal Bank of Scotland also provided £8.5m of debt facilities...
UK - Ingenious Media invests £3m to enable Digital Rights Group to make acquisition
Ingenious Media Active Capital Limited has invested £3m in The Digital Rights Group Ltd (DRG) in order to enable it to acquire Portman Film and Television Ltd, a UK drama distributor.
UK - Close Ventures leads £2m follow-on funding of Xceleron
Close Ventures has invested £1.5m as part of a £2m follow-on funding round in Xceleron Ltd, a provider of early-stage drug development and assessment services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The balance was provided by Foursome Investments,...
UK - Duke Street and Englefield exit Equity Insurance Group
Duke Street Capital and Englefield Capital have sold Equity Insurance Group to Insurance Australia Group, Australasia’s leading general insurance group, for a total consideration of £570m. The two investors delisted the insurance group, then known...
UK - Standard Life European Private Equity Trust appoints new non-executive directors
The board of Standard Life European Private Equity Trust Plc has appointed Clive Sherling and Donald Workman as independent non-executive directors of the company, with effect from 1 December 2006. Sherling spent 17 years at Arthur Andersen, the last...
UK - Lyceum exits Clinovia through a sale to BUPA
Lyceum Capital has realised its investment in home healthcare services provider Clinovia. The Harlow-based company was acquired by BUPA for £87.7m. The returns on the deal have not been disclosed.
UK - August Equity supports £40.9m take-private of Planit
August Equity has invested £14.2m in Planit Holdings Plc, to support the £40.9m management buyout of the AIM-listed company which will herald the first public-to-private deal in August Equity’s portfolio. The public-to-private scheme is expected to...
UK - The Carlyle Group to acquire Bigmouthmedia to merge with Global Media
The Carlyle Group has acquired Bigmouthmedia, the digital marketing agency headquartered in Edinburgh and will merge the company with its existing portfolio company, Global Media GmbH, the web marketing company headquartered in Munich. As a result, Carlyle...
UK - Gresham generates 2.6x return on exit from Blue Group
Gresham Private Equity has exited Blue Group International through the sale of the business to HCL Plc (formerly Healthcare Locums Plc) in a deal worth £12m. Gresham made a return of 2.6x its investment.
UK - London Technology Fund invests in interactive 3G video platform company
Intellistream, the developer of a new turnkey solution for 3G video content delivery, has attracted funding of £355,000 from London Technology Fund and several business angels. Following the investment an experienced software executive will join the...
UK - Bridgepoint exits Longville
Bridgepoint has realised its investment in Longville, the international rental group focusing on the provision of pumping and temperature control solutions. The company has been acquired by US-based Carrier Inc, a business unit of United Technologies...
UK - KKR and Goldman Sachs to bid for EMI
EMI, the London Stock Exchange-listed music company behind Robbie Williams and Coldplay is reported to have received an approach which may lead to a take-over bid. KKR and Goldman Sachs are believed to be among the potential bidders.