France
CVC sells Parex to trade in $2.55bn deal
Deal for speciality chemicals firm is expected to generate synergies in the CHF 80-100m range
Indigo holds first close on €170m
Indigo Capital II is targetting €350m and is expected to hold a final close in Q3 2019
ActoMezz backs Solware in sponsorless deal
ActoMezz has been Andera Partners' mezzanine arm since a 2016 merger
Cerea backs Icko Apiculture MBO
Number of beekeepers has been growing steadily since 2007 after years of decline, Cerea says
Omnes backs ABMI in MBO
Omnes invests €10.8m in France-based engineering and industrial advisory firm ABMI
CVC in exclusivity over €900m deal for April Group
KKR, BC and Advent were also reportedly involved in the bidding for the listed insurance group
Capital Croissance acquires Vlad from UI Gestion
UI Gestion sells its stake in France-based Vlad, while BPI France and management reinvest
Stirling Square buys Verescence in SBO
GP buys France-based Verescence, a glass packaging specialist, from Oaktree
Access holds €768m final close for ACF VII
Funds-of-funds vehicle backing European buyout funds exceeds its €500m target
IK's Mademoiselle Desserts bolts on Les Délices des 7 Vallées
France-based Mademoiselle Desserts completes its second bolt-on since the IK acquisition
Omnes, BPI France back UnitE
GPs invest in the France-based hydropower specialist via renewables-focused funds
Alantra makes strategic investment in Access Capital
Investment bank is making inroads in the asset management space with a 49% stake in the fund-of-funds manager
French PE market overtakes UK
With a stark drop in H2, the UK's buyout volume looks certain to finish the year short of 2017's total
Carlyle’s Prima Solutions bolts on Effisoft
Prima and Effisoft combined form an insurtech company generating €50m revenues
Naxicap’s DCI bolts on Retis
DCI’s bolt-on of communications specialist Retis follows the acquisition of Lhexian last year
Omnes holds €72m interim close for Expansion III
GP plans to hold a final close in H1 2019, sets target at €120m and hard-cap at €150m
Kurma holds first close for Kurma Biofund III
LPs including Servier, BPI France and Idinvest commit to the biotech- and heath-focused fund
BC Partners and PSP sell Antelliq to trade in €3bn deal
Merck will pay around €2.1bn to buy the outstanding shares of and assume the €1.15bn debt
Siparex et al. back Mathevon in SBO
Transaction sees Aquasourca, Garibaldi Participations, Esfin Gestion and BPI France exit
Adaxtra et al. back Groupe Asia in MBO
GPs invest in tour operator Groupe Asia alongside the CEO and the Chantraine family
AnaCap exits AssurOne
Deal ends a four-year holding period for AnaCap, which bought AssurOne from Seventure and BPI France
Andera sells Scalian to Cobepa – reports
Andera wholly owns the engineering consultancy, having acquired stakes in 2015 and early 2018
Omnes, BIP buy Captain Tortue
Founders, Philippe and Lilian Jacquelinet, have reinvested for a significant stake
EQT Ventures co-leads €20m round for Dott
Other investors include Axel Springer Digital Ventures, DN Capital and Felix Capital