Market Insight
Ahlsell deal boosts construction sector value total
The construction & materials sector has seen €1.9bn worth of private equity deals being completed since January, exceeding the overall amounts invested in other industrial sub-sectors.
European retail outshines rest of consumer sector in 2012
Retail has seen private equity transactions totalling €4.3bn since January 2012, outpacing the rest of the consumer goods and services sector.
Competition heats up for German fundraising
Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG) last week closed Germany’s biggest fund since 2007. While the country’s fundraising environment has been paid little attention in recent years, it has seen as many fund closes in 2012 as the UK. John Bakie investigates
UK dominant as European deal activity stumbles
The UK has reasserted its dominance as a European private equity market in 2012, racing ahead of the competition, according to figures from unquote” data.
Early-stage investments: German deal volume booms
While German early-stage activity has risen in volume in the first half of 2012, the UK holds its own with strong overall deal value.
French mid-market on the mend
At long last, activity in the French €100m+ buyout market showed signs of improvement in the second quarter. The Alain Afflelou and St Hubert transactions certainly helped: the former was acquired by Lion Capital in an €800m SBO in May, while Montagu...
Nordics' role in European PE strengthens in H2 2011
The Nordics saw a strong first half of 2012, driven by a few large deals, pushing aggregate value from €3.4bn in H2 2011 to €5bn, showing the region's resilience to the eurozone crisis and its economic strength.
Spain continues to outperform Italy in deal volume
Despite the country's dire economic state, Spanish private equity activity has continued to outpace that of Italy continuously over the past 24 months - although the latter showed more resilience last year.
SBOs remain resilient in Q2
The increase in larger deals witnessed in the second quarter corresponded with a relative resilience in secondary buyout activity across Europe, according to the latest unquote" Private Equity Barometer.
DACH buyout market outweighs neighbours in Q2
Buyouts in the German-speaking region have shown a significant gain in value from the first to the second quarter of 2012, enabling the region to top the regional aggregate value table.
Fundraising a chief concern for Nordic PE professionals
While the AIFM Directive was on everybody's agenda last year, fundraising is the main concern for most of the private equity practitioners polled in the latest unquote" Nordic Survey.
Dealflow: Tech more resilient than pharma
While overall activity declined gradually between Q1 2011 and Q2 2012 as macroeconomic conditions worsened, dealflow in the technology sector proved to be much more resilient than pharmaceuticals. This holds for both overall European and country-specific...
UK support services boom in Q1 2012
The support services sector performed well in Q1 of 2012, raising expectations of strong growth for the remainder of the year.
Trade sales on the rise
The partial sale of Alliance Boots to Walgreens by KKR and AXA PE is the latest in a series of exits propping up trade sale figures in 2012. Meanwhile the secondary buyouts trend is showing signs of abating. Greg Gille reports
Europe-wide PE investment to fall below €45bn in 2012
Following a lacklustre start to 2012, Europe should see year-end buyout investment levels barely hit the €40bn mark – the first glitch in an otherwise steady recovery since 2010. Greg Gille reports
Big boost in Spring dealflow
Nordic activity rebounded sharply in May as nine deals worth an estimated €1.4bn were recorded: more than double the volume, and more than four times the value of the previous month.
French activity: Out of the trough?
Shored up by an uptick in mid-market buyout activity, French dealflow has shown encouraging signs of recovery in May. But subdued activity in the first months of 2012 and a lack of visibility on macro-economic trends should take their toll on year-end...
UK and Nordics outperforming rest of Europe
Research from unquote” data finds that the UK/Ireland has not only outperformed its continental European counterparts in Q1 of 2012, but it was also the only region to raise deal volume levels above those of 2011.
Southern Europe: Volume drops, value soars
Deal activity remained particularly subdued across Southern Europe in May, although the Rottapharm buyout in Italy sent overall value soaring.
France: acquisition finance off to good start in 2012
The overall value of French PE-backed acquisition finance deals completed in the first months of this year has already exceeded 2011 year-end figures. Recent research also highlights that French businesses remain hungry for build-up opportunities.
Are mezzanine funds making a comeback?
The launch of 123 Venture’s latest mezzanine fund, the €100m Trocadero Capital Transmission II, is the second mezz fund launch this year with CIC Mezzanine III. In parallel, the number of mezzanine funds reaching final close has declined from 6 in...
DACH investment leaps forward in May
Investment in the DACH region surged forward in May, with seven deals worth an estimated €580m, compared to 12 deals worth just €100m in April.
Good year ahead for the UK software and voice devices market?
Bridgepoint’s recent SBO of BigHand from LDC sheds some light on the large UK software and voice device markets. Though important in Europe, the UK software market has been in decline, with volumes falling from 90 deals in 2008 to just 39 last year.
Nordic credit remains more readily available
The Nordic countries have enjoyed a lower proportion of all-equity buyouts than the rest of Europe for several months now - highlighting easier access to leverage in the region.