Southern Europe unquote
Consilium to launch €200m fourth buyout fund
Fund IV will acquire majority stakes in Italian companies operating in a wide range of sectors
KKR acquires controlling stake in Telepizza in €604m deal
GP, which already owns a 28.57% stake, will reach 56.29% and will be able to de-list the company
Crane Venture leads $3m funding round for Stratio
Company intends to use the fresh capital to further expand across Europe and the US
LeadX Capital leads $20.4m series-B for 360Imprimir
Omnes Capital, Pathena and Fundo 200M (managed by PME Investimentos) also take part in the round
Alto Partners backs Olimpia Splendid
GP invests via its Alto Capital IV fund, which closed on its €210m hard-cap in April 2018
Gradiente exits Coldline
Sale ends a holding period of only one year for Gradiente, which bought the company via its second fund
Alkemia exits Taplast to trade
US-based Trimas also acquires the majority stake owned by Taplast CEO Paolo Santagiuliana
HIG buys Cadica from Gradiente, builds new group
In addition to Cadica, HIG also buys Tessilgraf and Bernini, which will be merged into a new group
Consilium, Progressio buy Gelit
GPs deploy capital from their funds Consilium Private Equity III and Progressio Investimenti III
Blackstone-backed Cirsa carves out Giga Games
Blackstone acquired Cirsa from its founder, Manuel Lao Hernández, in April last year
Artá Capital exits Mecalux in €122m deal
Sale ends a nine-year holding period for the GP, which backed the company alongside Corporación Alba
Oakley Capital invests in Spanish insurance broker Acierto
Oakley, Admiral Group and Mapfre will form a joint venture by combining Acierto with Rastreator
Lakestar leads €150m series-D for Spanish startup Glovo
Idinvest Partners and Korelya Capital also took part in the round, alongside Papa John's owner Drake Enterprises
Indaco, Invitalia in €8m round for rental startup Sweetguest
Indaco invests via its Indaco Ventures I fund, while Invitalia deploys capital from Italia Venture I
HIG WhiteHorse invests in Italian retailer Risparmio Casa
HIG intends to support the company in further strengthening its market position in Italy
EQT launches €631m takeover bid for Parques Reunidos
Offer is made via a bidco controlled by EQT, Miles Capital and Corporación Financiera Alba
PE-backed Garda Plast sells division to trade
Gruber Logistics buys the transportation and logistics activities of Progressio's Garda Plast
Buy-and-build opportunities thrive in Italian market
In addition to the strong activity recorded on the buyout side, 2018 was also a busy year for Italy in the consolidation space
Alpha acquires ceramics specialist Laminam
GP invests via its Alpha Private Equity Fund 7, which held a final close on €903m in June 2017
Dunas Capital hires two for new fund-of-funds
New vehicle, Rainforest Dunas Iberia Fund I, has been registered in Spain and has a target of €100m
Nexi raises €2.3bn in IPO
Initial listing gives Nexi a market capitalisation of €5.7bn and an enterprise value of €7.3bn
MIP leads €2m series-A for flower delivery startup Colvin
New injection of capital brings the total funding raised by the Spanish company to €11m
ING Ventures leads €19m series-C for banking app Fintonic
Round also sees participation from 10 other investors, including Spanish insurance group PSN
Green Arrow buys Labware
GP invests via its Green Arrow Private Equity Fund III, which closed on €230.6m in September 2018