Media
UK - Promethean portfolio company DLG makes acquisition
Promethean portfolio company Data Locator Group (DLG) has acquired the business and assets of Wegener DM Group Plc (WDM) from the listed media group Koninklijke Wegener NV. WDM has created a database on UK consumers and their lifestyles and collects the...
UK - Merseyside Special Investment Fund backs SLR Technology Solutions
SLR Technology Solutions received almost ТЃ80,000 of funding from Merseyside Special Investment Fund to complete its proof of concept phase.
UK - Promethean keen on Media Square
Media Square, the listed marketing company which issued a profit warning last month, is reported to have rejected a bid by Promethean. The share price rose by 4p yesterday on the news of this bid.
NL - VNU completes sale of its stake in Solucient to Thomson
VNU, the information and media company which is owned by private equity consortium Valcon Acquisition BV, has announced that it has completed the sale of its 34.3% stake in Solucient, an information products company serving the healthcare industry, to...
UK - Icera closes $20m investment from 3i
Icera Inc, the cellular wireless semiconductor company, today announced that 3i has invested $20m in the company as an extension to its recent series-C funding round, which now totals $60m. 3i joins an investor group comprising Benchmark Capital Europe,...
UK - Ingenious plans launch of Ingenious Securities
Ingenious, the media investment and advisory group, announces that Robert Benton and Richard Jeffrey have been appointed Chief Executive and Head of Securities, respectively, of Ingenious Securities, a new business to be focused on the media sector, which...
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...
FRANCE - Possible EUR 2bn sale of FNAC
According to reports in the French press, PPR is considering selling FNAC, a nationwide books and media retailer.
GERMANY - Saban to sell ProSiebenSat.1
According to a report in German news magazine, Focus, US-billionaire Haim Saban is in advanced talks with investors over the sale of his stake in ProSiebenSat1. The report suggests that Saban is speaking with investment bank Goldman Sachs and Apax Partners....
UK - Apax launches bid to delist unquote" publisher Incisive Media
Apax Partners has made an offer to acquire global B2B publisher Incisive Media Plc. The deal, which has been recommended by the independent directors of the business, values the London Stock Exchange-listed companyтs shares at ТЃ199m, and offers shareholders...
GERMANY - Burda Digital Ventures acquires computeruniverse.net
Burda Digital Ventures GmbH, a subsidiary of Hubert Burda Media, has agreed to acquire computeruniverse.net GmbH, Friedrichshof. The vendors are the company's management and private investor Participia Holding, Hamburg. The acquisition is designed to...
UK - Private equity rumours surrounding SMG unfounded
The Financial Times reports that the Scottish media company, SMG, is likely to turn down last week's takeover approach from Northern Irish rival, UTV. The rumours surrounding SMG and private equity do not apparently have any serious foundations.
UK - Endless exits Encanta via sale to Exponent porfolio company, Magicalia
Endless has announced the disposal of Encanta Media Ltd for ТЃ2.72m to Magicalia, an on-line publishing business and one of Exponent Private Equity's portfolio companies.
CZECH REPUBLIC - Mid Europa sells cable company
Central and Eastern European investor Mid Europa Partners (MEP) has sold its 82% stake in Czech cable company Karneval Media to UPC, the Czech Republic’s number one player. The EUR 322.5m deal saw the bankers of UPC (Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan) take control...
UK - Beringea sells Mergermarket to Financial Times Group
Beringea has agreed to sell portfolio company Mergermarket to the Financial Times Group, a subsidiary of Pearson Plc, the global media company. The sale is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to complete in Q3 2006 and will generate a total...
UK - Candover to bid for Trinity Mirror's newspapers
According to a report in the Observer, Candover is expected to emerge as a bidder for Trinity Mirror's newspapers that include the Daily Mirror, the Liverpool Echo and the Sunday Mirror. The announcement last week that the group was to conduct a strategic...
BELGIUM - KBC Private Equity sells I-PAC Technologies
KBC Private Equity has signed an agreement to sell its 18.90% stake in I-PAC Technologies, a specialist in the development of new technologies for the plastic packaging industry. InnoConcepts NV, the principal stakeholder, will acquire the stake for EUR...
UK - Microsoft executive Judy Gibbons joins Accel London
Accel Partners has announced the appointment of Judy Gibbons as venture partner in its London office, which focuses on early stage Internet, software and communications investments in Europe and Israel.
UK - Taylor Nelson Sofres receiving private equity interest
The international market research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) is said to have attracted private equity interest. The company has encountered the dissatisfaction of its institutional investors after it revealed revenues in the US had fallen and were...
FRANCE - Deadline for PagesJaunes bids
Bidders for France Telecom's 54% stake in directory service PagesJaunes are expected to place binding offers today.
FRANCE - Jaques-Philippe Gunther to join Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Willkie Farr & Gallagher has today announced the appointment of Jaques-Philippe Gunther as an associate, and will be joined by David Tayar who will join the European Counsel.
NORWAY - NORWAY-FSV V acquires 14 unlisted holdings from Aggregate Media I KB & II NORDIC KB
FSV V has acquired a portfolio of 14 unlisted holdings from Aggregate Media I KB & NORDIC KB, in line with its strategy to become leading portfolio acquirer in the Nordic region.
UK - Catalyst expands its research team
Catalyst Corporate Finance has expanded its knowledge team with the recruitment of two specialist researchers. The first new recruit is Paul Chapman, head of research, who brings over 15 years of research experience into the team, including roles with...
UK - Catalyst makes London appointment
Catalyst Corporate Finance has strengthened its London office with the recruitment of Richard Holden, from RSM Robson Rhodes.