News
SWEDEN - Index- and Sequoia-backed Stardoll merges with Piczo
Online entertainment site Stardoll, which is backed by amoung others Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital, has merged with Piczo, a website dedicated to custom web publishing for teenagers.
NORWAY - Strømme leaves Herkules Capital
Dag Strømme is leaving Norwegian buyout house Herkules Capital after two years as partner.
FRANCE - Banexi Capital Partenaires becomes Azulis Capital
Banexi Capital Partenaires has rebranded itself Azulis Capital.
GREECE - Marfin to to make EUR 62m Olympic acquisition
According to reports, Greek investment firm Marfin Investment Group is set to acquire Greek aircarrier Olympic Airlines in a deal valued at just over EUR 62m.
NETHERLANDS - PE-backed NXP to sell wireless chip division
Semiconductor business NXP, which is backed by KKR, Bain Capital, Apax Partners, AlpInvest Partners and Silver Lake Partners, is understood to have sold its wireless chip services business to French smart card provider Gemalto.
SWEDEN - HitecVision-backed Leirvik MT acquires competitor
HitecVision portfolio company Leirvik Module Technology, a supplier of prefabricated living quarters to offshore oil platforms, has acquired certain key assets of Emtunga Offshore, which went into insolvency in December last year.
UK - Rutland Partners interested in JJB Sports
According to reports, Rutland Partners is said to have made an approach to JJB Sports regarding a possible acquisition of the firms health and fitness arm.
UK - North-West raises close to £5m
Newcomer North-West Private Equity has held a first closing of its inaugural fund, PHD Equity Partners Fund No 1, just short of £5m.
POLAND - ARX backs pet retailer Kakadu
ARX Equity Partners, an independent firm spawned from DBG Eastern Europe, has acquired a majority stake in Polish retailer Kakadu Sp. z o.o.
EUROPE - Allen & Overy to cut back banking teams
Law firm Allen and Overy, which earlier this year announced that it was to make a series of redundancies as part of a wider restructuring, is reportedly planning to substantially scale back its banking teams worldwide, which could lose as much as a third...
UK - Investcorp to sell Moneybookers
According to reports, Bahraini private equity firm Investcorp has put portfolio company Moneybookers up for sale.
GLOBAL - Riverside promotes 12 and hires four
International private equity firm The Riverside Company has promoted 12 employees and hired three investment professionals as well as a new assistant director of marketing and communications.
UK - Oakley to raise £18m through placing
Mid-market buyout house Oakley Capital has launched a placing designed to raise up to £18m.
Trusting VCTs
VCTs will struggle as the markets they're listed on shrink. Consolidation has already started. To keep VCTs - and the fledgling businesses they back - afloat, continued government support is needed. By Nicola Bock