Sector
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.
Private equity to benefit from oil & gas boom
The high price of oil could provide a boom to many operating in the oil & gas sector in the UK, and private equity players are looking to take advantage of the opportunities it offers.
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.
Equistone seals Brétèche Industrie deal
Equistone has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in French food machinery business Groupe Brétèche from Azulis Capital and Unigrains.
Investor AB backs Active Biotech with SEK 270m
Investor AB has agreed to buy six million newly-issued shares in Active Biotech, providing the company with SEK 270m in total after transaction costs.
Osprey backs Indexx Markets
Osprey Capital has invested in UK-based financial services firm Indexx Markets.
Ingenious Ventures invests £900,000 in Casabu
Ingenious Ventures has led a £900,000 series-A funding round for UK-based online retailer Casabu.
Axa PE backs Five's bolt-on of Mag Americas
Axa Private Equity has provided its French portfolio company Fives Group, an industrial engineering business, with additional funding in order to acquire US-based Mag Americas.
Dunedin’s CitySprint buys Sameday UK
CitySprint, a distribution network backed by Dunedin, has acquired Sameday UK.
HgCapital sells Computer Software for £110m
HgCapital has sold Computer Software Holdings Ltd (CSH) in a trade sale to Advanced Computer Software.
Alven Capital raises €120m for fourth venture fund
French venture firm Alven Capital is set to close its latest fund on its €120m hard-cap after nine months on the road.
Bridges Ventures exits Whelan Refining
Bridges Ventures has sold its stake in Whelan Refining to the company’s management team, reaping a 4.7x multiple on its overall investment.
TDR Capital backs MGM Advantage spin-off
TDR Capital has supported the spin-off of annuity specialist MGM Advantage.
MML invests €17.3m in ATA Group
MML Capital Partners has invested €17.3m in Ireland-based engineering business ATA Group.
Albion exits Nelson House to NHS-Care UK partnership
Albion Ventures has sold UK-based mental health hospital Nelson House to Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Care UK for £8m, generating a £2m profit for the VC.
Sun European Partners buys Dreams
Sun European Partners has acquired UK-based bed retailer Dreams from administrator Ernst & Young.
Foresight invests £7.5m in Utility Funding
Foresight Group has backed Utility Funding Ltd (UFL) with £7.5m to roll out smart metres across the UK.
Cathay makes first investment from Franco-Chinese Fund
Cathay Capital has invested €5m in French sealing solutions provider Flexitallic, in what marks the first transaction for the recently raised Franco-Chinese Fund.
Octopus in further funding round for Metrasens
Octopus Investments has made a further investment in technology business Metrasens.
Alpha's Savio bolts on Mesdan
Savio Macchine Tessili, a textile machinery producer owned by Alpha, has acquired a controlling stake in yarn splicing devices firm Mesdan.
Eurazeo doubles money on Edenred exit
Eurazeo has sold its 10.2% stake in French prepaid corporate services company Edenred SA, reaping a multiple of 2x its initial investment.
Battery and Hasso Plattner back GoEuro with seed funding
Battery Ventures has led a $4m seed round for German travel search platform GoEuro, which also attracted funding from Hasso Plattner Ventures (HPV) and business angels.
Advent, Index and e.ventures back farfetch
Advent Venture Partners, Index Ventures and e.ventures have reinvested in farfetch, a UK-based e-commerce marketplace for independent fashion boutiques, in a $20m round led by Condé Nast.
Bridgepoint's Siblu in €80m refinancing
Siblu, a portfolio company of Bridgepoint Development Capital, has completed an €80m refinancing.