Industrials
ITALY - AXA PE takes minority stake in TRE & Partners
AXA Private equity has taken a 45% stake in TRE & Partners, a newly established holding company designed to invest in wind, hydro and solar projects in Italy, as part of a joint venture with Italian industrial group Tozzi.
GERMANY - zouk leads EUR 10.4m funding round for Triton-Format
zouk ventures has led a EUR 10.4m financing round for water management specialist Triton-Format AG, alongside US-based investor group Meidlinger Partners.
GERMANY - BluO acquires Metro unit in EUR 10m deal
Private equity newcomer BluO has acquired Adler, the beleaguered fashion store unit of listed retailer Metro, in a deal thought to be worth EUR 10m.
NORWAY - Northzone et al. back ChapDrive with NOK 52m
Existing investors NorthZone Ventures, Hafslund Ventures and Energy Capital Management (formerly StatoilHydro Ventures), alongside new backers StatoilHydro and Innvovation Norway, have invested NOK 52m into Chapdrive, a developer of patented systems for...
UK/NETHERLANDS - HgCapital to close Amsterdam office and consumer team
HgCapital has announced that it is to close its office in Amsterdam and its London-based consumer and leisure team.
2009 already written off
Europe will not see signs of a return to economic health until 2010 at best, suggests a new survey
ITALY - DGPA acquires 65% stake in Production
DGPA has acquire a 65% stake in industrial group Production, with the remaining stake is held by the funding owners Gianni and Rosario Imperatore and the management.
NETHERLANDS - DSM Special Products sale to Arsenal falls through
The sale of chemicals business DSM Special Products BV to US-based Arsenal Capital Partners will not be completed due to provisions imposed by the European Commission. The deal was originally announced on 3 March 2008.
SWEDEN - 3i divests DIAB stake to Ratos in SEK 400m deal
3i has sold its 48% stake in core materials manufacturer DIAB Group AB to co-investor Ratos in a deal valued at approximately SEK 400m.
Buyout outlook - 2009 already written off
Europe will not see signs of a return to economic health until 2010 at best, suggests a new survey. By Mareen Goebel
NORWAY - Government supports Argentum with NOK 2bn
Government-backed Norwegian LP Argentum has received NOK 2bn from in additional equity from the Norwegian government.
UK - TPG lets Lueken go
Reports suggest that TPG Capital has parted with Bastian Lueken, who was based in London.
LUXEMBOURG - AFINUM acquires Wallenborn
German private equity house AFINUM Management GmbH has acquired transport logistics firm Wallenborn Group in a deal valued at EUR 25-50m.
ITALY - PM&Partners closes second fund on EUR 340m
PM&Partners has closed its second fund on EUR 340m, EUR 40m above its initial target.
SWEDEN - Candover appoints senior adviser for the Nordic region
Candover has appointed Fredrik Arp, former CEO of Volvo, as senior adviser with a particular focus on the Nordic region.
EUROPE - Value of buyouts plunges to five year low
The value of private equity-backed acquisitions across Europe fell to a five-year low in 2008 amidst continuing illiquidity in the debt markets and a worsening macroeconomic climate, dropping by 61% from 2007's record high of more than EUR 184bn to EUR...
The rise and fall ... of the UK private equity market
unquote" reflects on the ups and downs the domestic market has seen since the newsletter began tracking it in 1992
CEE - EBRD considers EUR 40m commitment to 3TS CEE Fund III
The EBRD is studying the possibility of investing up to EUR 40m, but not exceeding 20% of total aggregate commitments, in 3TS CEE Fund III, a regional private equity fund with a target size of EUR 200m.
Forward thinking
Major players in the region give their view on the upcoming year to Francinia Protti-Alvarez