Southern Europe unquote
BC Partners and TPG given go ahead for OPAP tender
BC Partners and TPG are among the seven potential investors that have been cleared to continue to the next phase of a tender to buy a 33% stake in Greek lottery monopoly OPAP.
Inveready in second round for Indisys
Inveready has participated in a $5m funding round for portfolio company Indisys, a Spanish dialogue systems developer.
Critical Ventures backs Watchful Software
Critical Ventures I Fund, in conjunction with Critical SGPS, has provided funding for Portugal-based information security technology company Watchful Software.
PE-backed Eco Eridania buys Team Ambiente
Waste management firm Eco Eridania, backed by Fondo Italiano di Investimento, has acquired Team Ambiente.
Nazca buys Ovelar for €28m
Spanish GP Nazca Capital has wholly acquired visual merchandising company Ovelar Merchandising for €28m.
Principia et al. invest in Eco4Cloud
Principia and dpixel have invested €300,000, with a further €2m investment guaranteed, in Italian energy saving technology developer Eco4Cloud, according to reports.
Italian GPs circle Pirelli
Clessidra and Investindustrial are in exclusive talks over the holding company that indirectly controls Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli.
Italy and Qatar launch €2bn joint venture
Fondo Stategico Italiano, the €4bn fund launched by the Italian government in 2011, has teamed up with Qatari holding company Qatar Holding LLC to form IQ Made in Italy Venture.
HgCapital’s TeamSystem buys H-umus
Gruppo TeamSystem, a financial management software firm owned by HgCapital, has acquired multi-touch software solutions provider H-umus for around €4m.
La Caixa et al. invest in Miscota
La Caixa et al. have invested €500,000 in Spanish online retailer of pet products Miscota, completing a €1m financing round that started in July.
La Caixa launches new €23m fund
Spanish bank La Caixa has launched its new fund, Caixa Innvierte Industria, which attracted €23m in commitments and will be managed by Caixa Capital Risc, according to reports in the Spanish press.
2013: an excellent Italian vintage
Market conditions could be combining to make 2013 a great vintage for Italian growth capital investing. Amy King reports from the unquote” Italia Private Equity Congress in Milan
Miura PE backs MBO of GH Induction Group
Miura Private Equity has backed the management buyout of induction heating technology firm GH Induction Group from industrial holding company Corporación IBV.
BC Partners and TPG circle Greek lottery business
BC Partners and TPG Capital are among the potential bidders for a 33% stake in Greek lottery monopoly OPAP, put up for sale by the country's Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF).
Quadrivio buys Suba Seeds
Italian buyout house Quadrivio has acquired a 52% stake in Suba Seeds, a distributor and manufacturer of vegetable seeds.
Southern Europe unquote” November 2012
After a bleary-eyed summer, Southern European deal activity awoke in October with a notable increase in both volume and value.
PE-backed Cortefiel refinances €1.3bn debt
Spanish clothing retailer Cortefiel, backed by CVC, Permira and PAI partners, has refinanced €1.3bn worth of debt, according to reports in the Spanish press.
Police investigate 2007 sale of Valentino to Permira
Italian police have seized assets worth €65m from the Marzotto family and its business associates under suspicion of tax evasion connected to the 2007 sale of Valentino to Permira, according to reports.
Caixa Capital Risc backs Xtraice with €800,000
Caixa Capital Risc has injected €800,000 into Xtraice, a manufacturer and distributor of ecological synthetic ice.
Investindustrial in €439m PortAventura deal
Investindustrial has acquired the remaining 50% stake of its existing portfolio company PortAventura, a destination resort in Spain.
Ambienta buys Tattile
Italian environmental investor Ambienta has acquired a 70% stake in machine vision and automation solutions firm Tattile.
Chilean financial institutions buy stake in Spanish FoF
LarrainVial and Consorcio Nacional de Seguros, a Chilean investment bank and financial services firm respectively, have acquired a 20% stake in the holding company of Spanish fund-of-funds Altamar.
Inveready in €3m round for Althia
Spanish VC Inveready has contributed to a €3m funding round for Althia, a biomedical firm based in Madrid.
Bridgepoint halves stake in Dorna Sports
Bridgepoint has halved its stake in Spanish sports management company Dorna Sports, according to reports.