News/UK / Ireland
UK - Hermes acquires Mayfair Gaming
Hermes Private Equity has acquired Mayfair Gaming, a bingo operator with eight clubs across the UK, from Risk Capital Partners.
UK - Workplace health and safety innovator wins investment from The Capital Fund
Optima Diagnostics, the fast-growing supplier of user-friendly web-based health and safety management tools, has attracted £275,000 of funding, in a round led by The Capital Fund, a £50m venture capital fund that invests in fast-growth companies in...
UK - Buyout consortium walks away from ITV
The private equity consortium courting ITV has given up interest in a potential takeover after a renewed offer was unanimously rejected by the company's board.
UK - Kleinwort Capital Trust Plc announces £15m commitment to Parallel Ventures
August Equity Ltd, the manager of KCT, has announced a commitment of £15m by KCT to the Parallel Ventures Ltd Partnership managed by Parallel Private Equity Ltd.
UK - CVC-backed Formula One makes simultaneous acquisitions
CVC Capital Partners Group and Formula One Administration are pleased to announce that subsidiaries of Alpha Topco Ltd, the holding company for the Formula One Group, have reached agreement to acquire simultaneously Allsport Management S.A., and the business...
UK - 3i to return £500m to investors
3i has announced that it expects full-year profits on the disposal of investments to be 'significantly higher' than last year’s and announced plans to return at least £500m to shareholders for the second year running.
UK - CVM invests £3.5m in Blackbay Ltd
Close Venture Management Ltd has announced an investment of £3.5m in Blackbay Ltd. Blackbay provides real-time mobile worker solutions that enable business process improvements to Supply Chain and Field Service mission critical operations.
UK - Montagu Private Equity acquires Misys General Insurance for £182m
Montagu Private Equity has signed an agreement to acquire Misys General Insurance for £182m. MGI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Misys Plc, a global business providing specialised software applications to the healthcare and banking industries. Final...
UK - Nova makes recommended cash offer for Springboard Plc
Nova Capital Group has announced a recommended cash offer for Springboard Plc, an AIM listed private equity investment company that was formed and floated in 1998. The offer of 144 pence in cash values the existing share capital of Springboard at approximately...
UK - Bridges Community Ventures backs Smart Storage
Bridges Community Ventures has announced its investment in Smart Storage, a Wirral-based business providing self-storage facilities for a mix of domestic and commercial customers.
UK - HgCapital to acquire First Technology Safety & Analysis
HgCapital has entered into agreement with Honeywell to acquire First Technology Safety & Analysis. The deal will value the market leader in crash test dummies and associated services at £50m.
UK - IBIS Media VCTs attract investment
IBIS Capital, the specialist media corporate finance and investment business, has announced that its VCT focusing on smaller private UK media companies has attracted support from leading figures from the media and financial services industries.
UK - VCTs held for the long-term, says Noble
New research from Noble Fund Managers has found that 81% of intermediaries are investing VCT money on behalf of their clients with a view to holding their investments for the long-term, an eight- to ten-year time horizon. Only 11% said that their clients...
UK - Further investment for Imperial College spin-out deltaDOT
Imperial Innovations, the technology commercialisation company of Imperial College London, has completed a £1m investment in spin-out company, deltaDOT, a developer of innovative enabling technologies and products for bioscience research. The investment...
UK - Cambridge Consultants restarts venturing business
Cambridge Consultants, one of Europe’s leading technology-based design and development companies, has announced plans to reactivate its spin-out business with the creation of a new venture fund.
UK - Bank of Scotland backs £119.5m acquisition of Adare Group
Adare Group, a leading UK print management, mailing and packaging solutions company, has announced that a team of seven current directors, led by Robert Whiteside, has acquired the business with the backing of Bank of Scotland Corporate.
UK - No Hit to 3i on Chorion
It has been confirmed that Hit Entertainment has pulled out of moves to buy Chorion, the intellectual property group that owns Noddy and Mr Men.
UK - Cazenove to spin off private equity business
Cazenove is spinning off its private equity business, a fund with about £230m of assets, through a merger with Prelude Ventures, according to the FT.
UK - Kirkland & Ellis makes two private equity appointments
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP has announced the appointment of two partners from Linklaters' private equity team.
UK - Close Brothers Growth Capital backs £9m MBO of Allen & Heath
Close Brothers Growth Capital Ltd (CBGC)has backed the £9m secondary buyout of Allen & Heath, a designer of professional sound mixing equipment. The move represents a successful exit for 3i, which backed the original MBO in 2001.
UK - Empower Interactive secures $18m private equity funding
Empower Interactive has secured $18m in a new round of funding headed by Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) and existing investors Argo Global Capital, Cazenove Private Equity, DN Capital and IDG Ventures Europe.
UK - 3i invests £21m in MKM Building Supplies
3i has invested a further £21m into MKM Building Supplies (MKM), the fifth largest independent builders’ merchant in the UK. The existing management of David Kilburn and Bill Acton retains an interest in the business and is investing alongside 3i.
UK - Consortium hasn't given up on ITV
The private equity consortium stalking ITV is to propose a cash sweetener in a second and final approach to the commercial broadcaster, according to press reports.
UK - Thames Valley Investment Network celebrates third year
Thames Valley Investment Network (TVIN), a business angel network that matches investors in Reading and surrounding areas with entrepreneurs seeking funding to grow their companies, is celebrating three years of successful operations.