Consumer
ECI bags Amber Travel in £50m SBO
ECI Partners has acquired rail tour business Amber Travel in a £50m secondary buyout.
KKR close to €650m SMCP deal
US buyout giant KKR is in talks to buy French clothing brands Maje, Sandro and Claudie Pierlot – regrouped under the SMCP holding – for €650m, according to media reports.
Endless's Trutex buys John Hall Schoolwear
Endless-backed Trutex has acquired John Hall Schoolwear, a UK school uniform manufacturer.
WHEB Partners backs Hoffmeister Leuchten
WHEB Partners has invested in German low-energy lighting business Hoffmeister Leuchten GmbH.
Clessidra buys Buccellati
Clessidra has bought a 70% stake in Italian jewellery firm Buccellati via the holding company Buccellati Holding Italia.
Connect Ventures invests in Yourgrind
London-based early-stage investor Connect Ventures has backed British start-up Yourgrind, which focuses on the commercialisation of coffee.
Rhône Capital buys bakery businesses for €1.05bn
Rhône Capital has agreed to take private the bakery supplies businesses from listed Dutch food ingredients group CSM for an enterprise value of €1.05bn.
PE-backed Bauwerk Parkett merges with Boen
Zurmont Madison Private Equity and EGS Beteiligungen's Swiss portfolio company Bauwerk Parkett AG has merged with Norway-based Boen AS to form the Bauwerk Boen Group.
Iris Capital leads reBuy round
French VC Iris Capital has led a funding round for Germany-based used products e-commerce website reBuy.
MBO Partenaires injects €6m into Raphael Michel
MBO Partenaires has provided French wine business Raphael Michel with €6m in equity as part of a wider €27m round of funding.
ECM acquires Bergmann Automotive
Equity Capital Management (ECM) has acquired a majority stake in German industrial business Bergmann Automotive, alongside management and the company's family owners.
Countrywide's IPO pricing at top of range
Private equity-backed estate agent Countrywide has narrowed its IPO pricing at the upper end of its range.
Ratos and Bonnier merge SF Bio with Finnkino
Ratos and Bonnier AB have agreed to merge SF Bio and Finnkino Oy, a deal designed to form the Nordic region's largest cinema group.
Mobeus backs Gro Group MBO
Mobeus Equity Partners has invested in the management buyout of nursery brand Gro Group.
Syntegra's Moleskine launches IPO
Syntegra Capital has launched the IPO of portfolio company Moleskine in a listing that could value the business at up to €530m.
Marks & Spencer circled by Qatar-led consortium
Iconic British retailer Marks & Spencer could be the target of an £8bn takeover by a Qatar Investment Authority-led consortium, which could also include private equity players such as CVC, according to reports.
PE-backed Hofmann bolts on Posterjack
Hofmann, a Spanish photo album specialist backed by Realza Capital and Portobello Capital, has acquired German customised printing company Posterjack.
LitCapital et al. back Baltic Bicycle Trade
LitCapital and German firm Panther International have invested $1.8m in Lithuania-based electric bicycle company Baltic Bicycle Trade.
Highgrowth sells Facomsa stake to Prudential Tradelink
Spanish VC investor Highgrowth has sold its 35% stake in automotive components manufacturer Facomsa in a trade sale to Prudential Tradelink.
3i and RCP exit Giraffe to Tesco
3i and Risk Capital Partners (RCP) have sold their 36.8% stakes in UK-based restaurant chain Giraffe to Tesco, giving the business a £48.6m enterprise value.
Vendis backs Alexandre de Paris
Vendis Capital Management has taken a stake in the buyout of French hairdressing salon and cosmetics company Alexandre de Paris, in what marks the GP's first investment in France.
LDC backs Fever-Tree
LDC has taken a 25% stake in Fever-Tree, valuing the UK tonic water and mixers brand at £48m.
UK consumer sector: private equity dealflow up 45% in 2012
High street woes notwithstanding, the UK consumer sector proved to be ripe for investment opportunities last year: private equity dealflow was up by 45% compared to 2011 figures while the overall value of these investments rose by a quarter.
Gimv’s Verbinnen winds up
Gimv-backed Belgian food processing business Verbinnen Poultry Group has filed a petition to wind up on 25 February 2013 after failing to find a buyer.