News/Region
SWITZERLAND – Argos Soditic realizes 14x return from sale of Maillefer
Argos Soditic has sold its portfolio company Maillefer in a secondary buyout to Alpha Group, realising a 14x return on the exit. The company was acquired in 2001 in a management buyout and spun off from Nokia subsidiary Nextrom. Maillefer is a producer...
ITALY – Cognetas amd Investitori Associati to acquire Gruppo Argentas
Cognetas amd Investitori Associati has acquired Gruppo Argentas. The deal is set to complete in 2008.
UK - KKR completes £593m take-private of Northgate
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) has agreed to purchase listed IT solutions provider Northgate Information Solutions in a deal which values the company at approximately £593m.
FRANCE - Carlyle Group and Cinven take 70% stake in Numericable and Completel
The Carlyle Group and Cinven have acquired cable operators Numericable and Completel. The private equity houses have each taken a 35% stake. Cinven portfolio company Altice, a French cable operator, has acquired a 30% stake.
SPAIN – Dinamia and N+1 invest EUR 55m in hotel chain
Dinamia Capital Privado and N+1Private equity have invested EUR 55m for a 52% stake in hotel chain High Tech Hoteles & Resorts.
SWITZERLAND - Invision Private Equity and Vinci Capital acquire RSD
Invision Private Equity AG and Vinci Capital SA have acquired software company RSD SA. Founder and CEO, Louis-Pierre Roger, has retained a stake.
FRANCE - Demeter Partners in secondary LBO of FCT Group.
Demeter Partners has acquired Controlab and Testwell, known collectively as FCT Group, from Paluel Marmont Bank and FCPR Montparnasse Investissement III, a fund managed by UIGestion.
FRANCE – SG Capital supports buyout of Questel
SG Capital Europe has led the management buyout of intellectual property advisory business Questal for an undisclosed sum. Questal's services cover patents, trademarks and industrial design, databases, search and monitoring services, workflow solutions...
ITALY – JC Flowers leads EUR 140m buyout of Euromobiliare SIM
JC Flowers has lead the management buyout of Euromobiliare SIM. Mid Industry Capital also participated in the deal which is reported to weigh in at EUR 140m. JC Flowers will control 50.1% of the company, with management owning a 40% stake.
ROMANIA – GED invests in travel and leisure company.
Through GED Eastern II Fund, Spanish buyout house GED has acquired Romanian corporate travel agency Happy Tour.
TURKEY – KSCC buys into Fon Financial Leasing
Kuwait-based Global Investment House KSCC has acquired a 60% stake in listed leasing and factoring company Fon Financial Leasing (FFK) for $120m form Turkey's Yýldýz Holding, which retains a 27.38% stake.
HUNGARY - Vienna Capital Partners increase stake in FHB
Austrian venture capital company Vienna Capital Partners Group is buying a further 9.5% of Hungarian bank FHB from HSBC. VCP already holds a 9.85% stake (6.5 million shares) in FHB purchased in March 2007 for approximately EUR 48m. HSBC, a transaction...
GERMANY - Doughty Hanson sells Moeller Group for EUR 1.55bn
Doughty Hanson has sold Moeller Group to Eaton Corporation for EUR 1.55bn. The sale is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008. Moeller is a global supplier of systems and components for energy distribution and automatisation for industrial, infrastructure,...
UK - HgCapital and Montagu gain access to Biffa's books
HgCapital and Montagu have been granted access to Biffa to conduct due diligence after raising their offer by 20p per share. The revised 350p per share offer values the share capital of waste disposal company Biffa at £1.23bn.
SPAIN – 3i to acquire 16% in radio group
3i has reportedly committed EUR 225m to acquire a 16.2% stake in radio network Union Radio.
CEE - KBC acquires Hungarian toy wholesaler and retailer
KBC Private Equity has acquired Gulliver and Star-Toys from the Kovács and Kovalcsik families. Gulliver Group is a Hungary-based toy wholesaler and, under its Bambini-brand, toy retailer. The company distributes international toy brands to the Hungarian...
SPAIN – European Capital opens office in Madrid
European Capital Financial Services, a branch of American Capital, focusing on management buyout investments leveraged through mezzanine debt, has opened an office in Madrid.
DENMARK - Santaris Pharma secures EUR 20.4m series-C round
Gilde Healthcare Partners has joined existing shareholders, the board of directors and management in a EUR 20.4m series-C round of funding for Santaris Pharma, a Danish pharmaceutical company. New investor Gilde contributed EUR 7.5m while the remaining...
CEE - Goldman Sachs acquires stake in Dragon Capital
Goldman Sachs has acquired a minority stake in Dragon Capital, Ukraine’s largest securities brokerage, investment banking, private equity and asset management firm. Dragon Capital is listed on the Ukranian Stock Exchange. Dragon Capital's management...
UK - C.P.Eaton appoints Lars A. Linqvist to London office
C.P. Eaton Partners, a global independent placement agent, has appointed Lars A. Linqvist as a new professional in its London office.
GERMANY - HgCapital acquires Casa Reha from Advent International
HgCapital has acquired the Casa Reha Group from Advent International and its management for an undisclosed sum. Both Advent International and the management retain a stake in the company going forward. Casa Reha runs retirement homes and is based in...
GERMANY - AVIDA Group acquires rest of Lenscare
AVIDA Group has increased its shareholding in Kiel-based Lenscare AG, a supplier of contact lenses and care products, to 100%. The financial details of the deal have not been disclosed. AVIDA Group already held a major share of Lenscare since March 2007...