Sector
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...
NL - ING to sell speciality insurance unit to Hal and Egeria
ING Group has announced that it intends to sell its speciality insurance unit Nationale Borg to HAL Investments and Egeria as part of its strategy to focus on its core insurance, banking and asset management businesses. The intended sale is subject 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 - CBPE sells Minova for £357m
Close Brothers Private Equity has sold speciality chemicals manufacturer Minova for ТЃ357m to Orica Ltd, an Australian quoted company. Minova's products are used in the coal mining, metal mining and tunnelling industries.
NORWAY - CapMan to make voluntary offer for Polimoon
CapMan funds intend to put forward a voluntary offer to purchase all shares outstanding in Oslo Stock Exchange-listed Polimoon ASA for a total equity valuation of NOK 1.082bn. The offer price is NOK 27.50 per share.
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...
FRANCE - PagesJaunes deal closes
KKR and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners have announced the completion of their acquisition of France Telecom's 54% shareholding in directory business Pages Jaunes. With a unitary share price of EUR 22, the total value of the acquired interest amounts to...
UK - Langholm Capital acquires plus-size retailer Elvi
Langholm Capital has acquired Elvi, the UK's largest independent plus-size women's fashion retailer. Langholm is backing Oliver Spark, the former managing director of the White Company, as an incoming chief executive.
FRANCE - Texas Pacific Group and AXA Private Equity buy 60% stake in TDF
Telecom broadcaster TDF has confirmed that an agreement has been signed for the acquisition by Texas Pacific Group and AXA private Equity of 42% and 18% of its equity, respectively.
UK - Credit Suisse Infrastructure Fund involved in bid for City Airport
It is expected that a consortium led by US insurer AIG and involving GE Capital and Credit Suisse's infrastructure fund has won the auction for City Airport. The deal is thought to value the airport which was acquired by Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond...
UK - InforSense receives £5.3m funding led by FF&P Private Equity
InforSense Ltd, a leading provider of software to the life sciences, financial services and other industries has received a ТЃ5.3m investment led by Fleming Family and Partners Private Equity (FF&P). Imperial Innovations provided ТЃ1.6m of the total funding...
SWITZERLAND - MVM Life Sciences appoints Søren Mouritsen
MVM Life Science Partners LLP announced today that Dr Søren Mouritsen has been appointed as entrepreneur in residence. Mouritsen will be based near Zürich, which the investor considers to be one of the most promising biotech clusters in Europe.
UK - launch of venture-backed Healthcare Brands International
Healthcare Brands International (HBI), a new company helping to turn innovative medical product technology into successful consumer brands, was officially launched today. Backed by ТЃ25m of venture capital from a syndicate of investors including Abingworth,...
GERMANY - Orlando Real Estate announces final close
Munich-based Orlando Real Estate GmbH has held a final close on its first fund, Special Situations Realty Partners I, on EUR 205m. The fund, which was launched in February 2006, has exceeded its initial target of EUR 150m and interest from investors was...
FRANCE - Open-Plug raises $15m from Baytech-led syndicate
Open-Plug has raised a $15m second round of institutional funding from a syndicate of investors led by Munich-based BayTech Venture Capital. Other investors included SGAM AI Private Equity and first round sponsors Auriga, I-Source Gestion, Siparex Ventures...
UK - Scott Mead joins Apax
Scott Mead, formerly of Goldman Sachs, is to join Apax as the chair of its global technology and telecommunications advisory board. He left the investment bank, where he was credited with shaping the telecoms industry in the dotcom era, two years ago....
UK - Northgate next private equity target
Shares at Northgate Information Solutions, a specialist software and IT services group, have risen over the last few months and are now approaching 100p per share on the back of rumours that the company will be delisted by private equity.
FRANCE - Neocase raises EUR 5.2m from Iris-led syndicate
Customer service software developer Neocase has raised a further EUR 5.2m in its third round of funding. The investment was provided by Iris Capital, Caisse des Depots et Consignations (CDC), and US IT services company Supporter Group.
UK - Hastings Infrastructure Fund in £665m secondary buyout of South East Water
Hastings Fund Management, an infrastructure fund owned by the Australian bank, Westpac, has acquired South East Water from Macquarie in a ТЃ665.4m secondary buyout deal. Commentators have suggested that Macquarie's timely exit is evidence of its keenness...
ITALY - TLcom Capital realises investment in Netscalibur Italia
London-based venture capital fund TLcom Capital announced today that it has agreed to sell 100% of Netscalibur Italia to Infracom, a Milan-based private industrial group active in the telecommunications, information technology and mobility businesses....
UK - Palamon to acquire British payment card issuer Retail Decisions Plc
Retail Decisions Plc, a London Stock exchange-listed company which assists retailers, telecommunications companies, oil companies, e-commerce retailers and banks to prevent the fraudulent use of payment and credit cards, has received a cash offer from...