UK / Ireland
UK - Hogg Robinson float back on
Permira-backed Hogg Robinson is to be listed after all. The IPO was planned for last week but then pulled at the last minute due to uncertainty in the market.
UK - Close Venture Management changes name to Close Ventures
Close Ventures, one of the UK’s leading venture capital providers is pleased to announce a new name, new website and new home.
UK - Candover appoints Clive Dolman and Alexis Dormandy as Operations Partners
Candover has announced that it has appointed Clive Dolman and Alexis Dormandy, both of whom join as operations partners. The role of operations partner is a new position at Candover, and will involve focusing on value creation in Candover’s portfolio...
UK - Northgate next private equity target
Shares at Northgate Information Solutions, a specialist software and IT services group, have risen over the last few months and are now approaching 100p per share on the back of rumours that the company will be delisted by private equity.
UK - Foresight funds millionaire games creator Zoo Digital
Foresight Venture Partners has led a £4.2m fundraising for Zoo Digital Group Plc, the AIM listed video technology company. Zoo's technology has powered the rise of interactive DVDs, including a new type of computer game that can be played on any DVD...
UK - Refinancing of Saga paves way for IPO
Saga, the provider of services to older consumers, has been refinanced allowing its backers, Charterhouse, to repay all the company's debt and acquire new debt on more attractive terms. The refinancing is reported to have saved £32m on interest. It is...
UK - Hastings Infrastructure Fund in £665m secondary buyout of South East Water
Hastings Fund Management, an infrastructure fund owned by the Australian bank, Westpac, has acquired South East Water from Macquarie in a £665.4m secondary buyout deal. Commentators have suggested that Macquarie's timely exit is evidence of its keenness...
UK - Close Brothers Corporate Finance makes new appointments
Close Brothers Corporate Finance has made several senior promotions. Appointments include a further three directors in the UK, a new director in France and senior promotions in Germany. The three new UK directors are Gareth Davies, Darren Redmayne and...
UK - Endless acquires six-site Mercedes-Benz dealership
Endless is pleased to announce that it has supported the management buyout of H&L Garages Ltd (H&L) from its parent, PD Ports Group Ltd, part of quoted Australian company Babcock & Brown Infrastructure, for £8.5m. Funding for the buyout was also provided...
UK - Sir Ronald Cohen to re-enter the arena
One of the founders of Apax Partners, Sir Ronald Cohen, who left the business in 2005, is set to indirectly re-enter the private equity world. He is teaming up with Lord Jacob Rothschild to set up Portland Capital, a fund which will invest in commodities,...
UK - Palamon to acquire British payment card issuer Retail Decisions Plc
Retail Decisions Plc, a London Stock exchange-listed company which assists retailers, telecommunications companies, oil companies, e-commerce retailers and banks to prevent the fraudulent use of payment and credit cards, has received a cash offer from...
UK - Britvic offer abandoned by Permira
Permira has abandoned a planned bid for soft drinks maker Britvic. The offer would have valued the company which sells brands such as Pepsi and Tango at around £600m.
UK - Anglia water to be acquired by Colonial First State consortium
Anglia Water (AWG) has recommended a takeover approach from a consortium led by Colonial First State, the fund management arm of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the government pensions fund of Canada, CPP Investment Board. 3i's infrastructure fund...
UK - 3i realises its investment in Vibration Technology
3i has announced the sale of its minority stake in Vibration Technology Ltd, a developer of wireless solutions for the oil, gas and mineral exploration sector, to Sercel, a division of Compagnie General de Geophysique. 3i's proceeds from the sale of £6m...
UK - Imperial Innovations backs environmental technology developer Lontra
Imperial Innovations Group Plc, one of the leading technology transfer and commercialisation companies in the UK, has invested £150,000 in environmental technology developer Lontra Ltd. This brings the total Imperial Innovations has invested in Lontra...
UK - PPM Capital to acquire restaurant group Paramount
The restaurant group behind Chez Gérard and Caffè Uno is expected to be acquired by PPM Capital in a deal worth £108m. In the last financial year the restaurant group which is known as Paramount, which trades from 80 sites, generated sales in excess...
UK - August Equity announces appointment of Keith Davidson
August Equity Ltd has announced the appointment of Keith Davidson as Investment Manager. Davidson joins August Equity from PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he has been since 2002. Keith qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen in 2002 before...
UK - HitecVision and Ferncliff back Noble Denton Holding Ltd
The shareholders of Noble Denton Holding Ltd have today agreed to sell the company to a consortium of Norwegian investors consisting of HitecVision and Ferncliff. Key employees of Noble Denton will retain a significant 40% share of the business going...
UK - Duke Street Capital acquires 2e2 from Gresham in £130m deal
Duke Street Capital (DSC), has agreed to acquire leading IT services business 2e2 in a £130m secondary management buyout from Gresham Private Equity. 2e2, which has operations in the UK, Channel Islands, Holland and the Isle of Man, operates in a number...
UK - Alexander Forbes launches Private Equity and Corporate Acquisitions Practice
Alexander Forbes International Risk Services (AFIRS) has launched a Private Equity and Corporate Acquisitions Practice (PECAP) to provide insurance and risk transfer services to businesses undertaking corporate and M&A activity. Oliver Crispin, previously...
UK - Electra Quoted Management helps fund Find Portal’s acquisition of Defaqto
Electra Quoted Management Limited (EQML) is pleased to announce, that alongside FF&P Private Equity it has made a follow on investment in Find Portal Limited (Find) on behalf of funds under its management, in addition to investment in May 2005. Find has...
UK - Permira pulls Hogg Robinson IPO
Hogg Robinson, the Permira-owned business travel company, has had its proposed IPO pulled with sources citing the current state of the market.
UK - 3i and Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures back series B for DeepStream
3i has joined DeepStream Technologies as new investor, leading its £8.1m Series-B equity funding. The funding will be used to expand the company’s range of solution platforms for new markets, particularly energy management, medical and appliance sectors,...
UK - Gresham-owned Whitworths up for sale
Dried fruit packager, Whitworths, is being sold by current backers Gresham at a competitive process run by Rothschild. Several private equity firms including Lion Capital, European Capital, HgCapital and Barclays Private Equity are in the process of preparing...