France unquote
Azulis Capital buys Lagarrigue from iXO
Azulis Capital has taken a majority stake in the secondary buyout of French medical equipment business Lagarrigue from iXO Private Equity.
Weinberg appoints director of investor relations
Weinberg Capital Partners has appointed Sophie Chateau as director of investor relations.
21 Partners exits Interflora in €148m tertiary buyout
21 Centrale Partners has sold flower business Interflora to investment companies Chevrillon & Associés and HLD Associés for €148m.
BC Partners further exits Médica
TBU-3 International, a holding owned by BC Partners, has sold a 28.1% stake in listed French homecare company Médica.
CVC to take Delachaux private for €1.08bn
CVC has agreed to acquire a stake in French industrial group Delachaux, with a view to delist the company at a later date.
France unquote" May 2011
Bridgepoint and Eurazeo have acquired French residential property management services group Foncia from BPCE bank for €1.02bn, in what is France’s largest buyout of 2011 so far.
Colony and Butler Capital to exit PSG
Colony Capital and Butler Capital are about to sell French football club Paris St Germain (PSG) to the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), according to French daily Le Parisien.
PE firms team up for Spie auction
Axa Private Equity and Clayton Dubilier & Rice will make a joint bid for PAI's engineering company Spie, according to media reports.
Apollo offers €400m for Ascometal
US firm Apollo is looking to acquire French steel producer Ascometal from its parent company Lucchini, according to media reports.
PE-backed AES Laboratoire sold for €183m
Abénex Capital, EPF Partners, Fortis PE and BNP Paribas have exited French microbiology company AES Laboratoire in a €183m trade sale to bioMérieux.
AXA invests in Ticket Surf International
AXA Private Equity has acquired a 25% stake in French provider of e-money services Ticket Surf International (TSI) as part of an owner buyout.
Generis to manage "socially responsible" fund
Generis Capital Partners has partnered with business network Réseau Entreprendre Ile de France to manage a new growth capital fund.
Blackfin et al invest €57m in Kepler
BlackFin Capital Partners has led a €57m investment in Kepler Capital Markers, a pan-European equity and fixed income broker.
Seventure et al. inject €900,000 in Tigerlily
Seventure Partners and business angels network Seed4Soft have invested €900,000 in French online media agency Tigerlily.
AFIC conference: Industry highlights tough year ahead
The major French players gathered in Paris today for the 14th annual conference of private equity association AFIC. Despite showing good signs of recovery, the French market still has daunting challenges to face in 2011. Greg Gille reports
Eurazeo to acquire OFI Private Equity
Eurazeo has agreed to acquire French listed private equity firm OFI Private Equity, in a deal that values the business at €132m.
AXA PE sells 30% stake in Skyrock to Crédit Agricole
Crédit Agricole has agreed to purchase 30% of French radio station Skyrock from AXA Private Equity, which retains a 40% stake in the business.
France unquote" April 2011
Astorg Partners has closed its fifth fund on a €1.05bn hardcap. Astorg V was launched in September 2010 with an €800m target and attracted strong interest from LPs.
Consortium completes IPO of Sequans
A consortium, consisting of iSource, Add Partners, Vision Capital and Kennet Partners among others, has completed the IPO of fabless semiconductor company Sequans Communications.
I&F and Vivéris back Médiane MBI
Initiative & Finance (I&F) and Vivéris Management have backed the management buy-in of French software developer Médiane - a deal that values the business at less than €10m.
AXA PE mulling Skyrock sale
AXA Private Equity is currently weighing its options to divest its 70% stake in French radio station Skyrock.
AFIC to reform governance
The French private equity association AFIC has launched a plan to reform its governance practices, according to French daily Les Echos.
Montefiore recruits new partner
French mid-market firm Montefiore Investment has hired Jean-Marc Espalioux as partner and executive chairman.
Activa buys Abrisud from AtriA
Activa Capital has acquired Abrisud, a French manufacturer of swimming pool enclosures, from AtriA Capital Partenaires.