UK / Ireland
UK - Granville buys care services firm
Granville Baird Capital Partners, the international mid-market private equity firm, has today supported the management buyout of Choices Holdings Ltd, a provider of supported living and residential care services to people with learning disabilities. Granville...
UK - Northern Trust makes four strategic appointments
Northern Trust, the provider of asset servicing, investment management and wealth management services, has made four appointments to its asset servicing business development team for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
UK - Beringea provides follow on investment in Espresso Broadband
Beringea, the private equity fund manager which manages ProVen VCT and ProVen Growth & Income VCT, has made a follow-on investment in Espresso Broadband Ltd, the leading provider of educational broadband content in the UK. The two funds have committed...
UK - Sovereign acquires residential care specialist
Sovereign Capital Partners LLP, the independent lower mid-market UK private equity provider, has completed the £22m acquisition of Alkare, the specialist provider of residential care for adults with mental health needs.
UK - Phoenix bags Radley
Radley, the UK’s biggest-selling handbag brand, has sold a majority shareholding to Phoenix Equity Partners in a £45m deal.
UK - Kleinwort Capital trust unveils annual results
Kleinwort Capital Trust has announced its preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2005, approved by the board of directors on 27 February 2006.
UK - 2005 sees Archangel portfolio bear fruit
Archangel Informal Investment Ltd's annual review, released over the weekend, reveals its continuing confidence in the Scottish market for young technology companies with the investment of a further £4m in 14 of its existing portfolio businesses during...
UK - D-Line secures £1.3m from investment syndicate
Newcastle-based DLine Ltd has recently received a £1.13m cash injection to develop its business. The new capital comes jointly from The North East Co-investment Fund, a £23m investment fund that invests in high-growth technology focused SMEs, and a...
UK - BP Marsh investee firm floats on AIM
B.P. Marsh & Partners Plc, a niche venture capital provider to early-stage financial services businesses, today announces its first transaction following the company’s flotation on AIM on 2 February 2006.
UK - Imperial Innovations to take stake in ParOS Plc
Imperial Innovations Ltd, the technology commercialisation company of Imperial College London, is pleased to announce that spin-out company Parametric Optimization Solutions Ltd (ParOS) has entered into a conditional agreement to be acquired by Oak Prospects...
UK - Duke Street appoints operating partner
Duke Street Capital has announced the appointment of Sir Neville Simms as operating partner.
UK - Investcorp Technology Ventures acquires Conduit for EUR 90m
Conduit Ltd, one of Europe’s leading directory assistance businesses, has signed a definitive agreement with an entity controlled by Investcorp Technology Ventures to acquire the company for EUR 90m. InfoNXX, Inc., the largest independent directory...
FINLAND/UK - VC-backed Ark Therapeutics awards management
AIM-listed biotechnology company, Ark Therapeutics Group plc, has awarded options to members of its management team.
UK - Alchemy leads race for Parkdean
Weekend press reports suggest that Alchemy Partners has emerged as the favourite to acquire Parkdean, the caravan parks operator.
UK - Permira to raise HMV bid, say reports
Press reports suggest that Permira is preparing a 200 pence a share revised bid for HMV, the book and music retail chain.
UK - Apax emerges as mystery House of Fraser bidder
According to press reports over the weekend, Apax Partners is preparing a bid for House of Fraser, the £300m department store.
UK - No mystery behind Chorion buyout
According to press reports, 3i has offered 425p per share to acquire Chorion, the owner of the rights of authors including Agatha Christie and Enid Blyton, in a deal valued at £110.7m, excluding around £20m of debt. The price is a 23.2% premium to the...
UK - Kingston Smith sponsors Venture Index
The Venture Index today announced that top twenty Chartered Accountants Kingston Smith has agreed to sponsor the Index from February 2006. Kingston Smith specialises in advising entrepreneurial businesses through all stages of their development and growth.
UK - Sigma announces two new investments
Sigma Technology Group Plc has unveiled two new investments: Nandi Proteins Ltd and Exterity Ltd. Both of these investments are made through the Sigma Technology Venture Fund, a fund that is managed by Sigma.
UK - Venture capital investment competition at London Business School
Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures is sponsoring the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) at London Business School.
UK - Bestport Ventures invests in Mfuse Ltd
London-based Bestport Ventures has invested £650,000 in Mfuse Ltd, a leading provider of mobile gambling and gaming software platforms.
UK - LDC recruits in the Midlands
LDC has strengthened its team in the Midlands with the appointment of Tim Newman as business development director.
UK - Interregnum share placing and acquisition
Further to obtaining shareholder approval to all of the resolutions proposed at the extraordinary general meeting on Tuesday 21 February, the board of Interregnum has announced that it has raised a total of £10m (before expenses) via a placing of 151,515,152...
UK - Barclays and Lloyds TSB support insurance broker
Leeds based Barclays Leveraged Finance (BLF) and Lloyds TSB Corporate Acquisition Finance have acted as joint mandated lead arranger in the provision of a £53m finance package to Oval, a leading industry consolidator in the corporate insurance broking...