Sector
FRANCE - Stampede over Colony’s Buffalo Grill stakes
France’s largest shareholder action group is urging the AMF (autorité des marchés financiers) to refuse Colony Capital’s attempt to delist Buffalo Grill. Colette Neuville, head of Association pour la Défense des Actionnaires Minoritaires (ADAM),...
UK - Barclays Private Equity exits Recruitment Solutions Group
Barclays Private Equity has sold its investment in Recruitment Solutions Group for £18.5m to Hays Plc, the global leader in specialist recruitment and HR services.
FRANCE - Asiatex to take Petitboy out of receivership
Pau’s regulatory court has selected Asiatex to acquire Petitboy from CIC Banque de Vizille and bring the company out of receivership. The children’s clothing company has been held under observation for the past four months. Asiatex has agreed to acquire...
THE NETHERLANDS - 3i sells UTT in reverse takeover
3i has announced the sale of Rotterdam-headquartered United Transport Tankcontainers Holdings BV (UTT), the international tank container operator, to AIM-listed Interbulk Investments Plc in a net EUR 67m reverse takeover deal.
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 - 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 - 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...
ITALY - BS buys Arena from Investitori
BS Private Equity has taken over 100% of the Arena Group from Investitori Associati, worldwide leading company in the sports/waterwear category.
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.
GERMANY - Gilde portfolio firm signs licensing deal with pharma investor
Munich-based IDEA AG has announced that Celtic Pharmaceutical Holdings LP, an international private equity firm focused on the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, has acquiredthrough its subsidiary TDT an exclusive global licence to IDEA’s...
FRANCE - PPM buys jewellers from Apax
PPM Capital, a mid-market private equity specialist, has reached an agreement in principle to acquire Histoire d'Or, a leading French jewellery distributor, from a group of investors led by Apax Partners for a consideration of EUR 230m. The transaction...
BELGIUM - KBC and Net Fund Europe sell Club
KBC Private Equity, Net Fund Europe and several private shareholders have concluded an agreement with Distripar on the sale of their entire stake in Club SA, valuing Club at EUR 21m. The transaction is still subject to certain conditions, including the...
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.
GERMANY - All change at top fashion house
Change Capital Partners, the private equity firm specialising in branded goods and retail, and the Prada Group have announced that Change Capital Partners is to acquire the Jil Sander Group.
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.
SPAIN - EIF and CDTI launch new investment programme
The EIF (European Investment Fund) and CDTI (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial) have today announced the launch of a new type of investment mandate. The programme is the culmination of over a year of collaboration between CDTI and the...
FRANCE - European Capital invests in Tokheim buyout
European Capital, S.A. SICAR has announced today it has invested EUR 14m in the mezzanine and second lien facilities of Tokheim SAS, the leading European supplier of retail fuel systems. European Capital’s investment represents a share of the mezzanine...
ESTONIA - MartinsonTrigon launches TVCorp for international TV projects
MartinsonTrigon, the Baltic venture capital fund, has agreed to invest EUR 1.4m into OÜ TVCorp, a holding company which will be involved in various international TV projects.
UK - LDC recruits in the Midlands
LDC has strengthened its team in the Midlands with the appointment of Tim Newman as business development director.
SWEDEN - Oracle buys VC-backed HotSip
Oracle Corporation has entered into an agreement to acquire Swedish HotSip AB, which is backed by 3i, Argnor Wireless Ventures, GO Capital and Ledstiernan.
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...
UK - AdEPT Telecom floats on AIM
AdEPT Telecom has acheived an IPO on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. Overall a total of 5.8 m common shares at a price of 140 pence were placed to institutional and other investors in the UK and Europe. The net proceeds...
EUROPE - LBO market smashes EUR 100bn barrier
2005 saw further significant growth in the European buyout market with the total value of deals topping EUR 100bn for the first time ever, according to the latest European Buyout Review due to be published in March 2006 by Incisive Media in association...