News
LUXEMBOURG - CDC commits EUR 7m to Advans
CDC Group has committed EUR 7m to Advans SA SICAR, a venture capital company investing in greenfield microfinance institutions in Africa and Asia.
UK - Capricorn leads £4.5m investment into Alaska Food Diagnostics
Capricorn Venture Partners has led a ТЃ4.5m funding round for Alaska Food Diagnostics Ltd, a company that develops microbiology tests to support the food processing and food safety testing sectors.
IRELAND - Nauta further supports MobileAware
Return backers Nauta Capital and Cross Atlantic Capital Partners have invested an undisclosed sum in MobileAware Ltd, a provider of technology for creating and managing mobile data solutions.
UK - Duke Street-backed 2e2 takes Netstore private in £58.1m deal
2e2 Holdings, an IT services company backed by Duke Street, has agreed to take IT networking company Netstore Plc private in a deal that values the company at ТЃ58.1m.
BELGIUM - CVC-backed DWB to acquire Atlanta
CVC portfolio company De Weide Blik (DWB) has received the European Commission’s approval on the proposed acquisition of German fruit and vegetable importer and wholesaler Atlanta.
UK - Cinven acquires 50% stake in Indicus
Cinven has acquierd a 50% stake in alternative investment manager Indicus Advisors for an undisclsoed sum, with management retaining the balance of the equity.
CEE – Mid Europa consolidates Polish healthcare market
Mid Europa-backed LUX MED has acquired Polish healthcare business Promedis.
FINLAND - Eqvitec holds first close of third mezzanine fund on EUR 64m
Eqvitec Partners has held its first closing of Eqvitec Mezzanine Fund III on EUR 64m.
EUROPE - RBS et al sell ABN assets for £156m
Reports suggest that Royal Bank of Scotland, alongside Fortis and Santander bank, has sold a portfolio of seven private equity assets controlled by ABN Amro to a consortium led by Goldman Sachs in a deal thought to be worth around ТЃ156m.
SWEDEN - Industrifonden and Eqvitec invest SEK 40m in Netadmin
Industrifonden and existing investor Eqvitec Partners have invested SEK 40m in an expansion funding round for Swedish software business Netadmin System i Sverige AB.
UK - Apposite et al lead £10m further investment into Serentis
Co-lead investors Apposite Capital, MVM Life Science Partners and Denmark-based Novo have led an investment of ТЃ10m into biopharmaceutical company Serentis in a second tranche of series-A funding.
GLOBAL - Secondaries market set to grow as credit crunch squeezes returns
The private equity secondaries market could see strong growth in activity in 2008 in the wake of fears of underperformance in large buyout funds, with US private company exchange Nyppex estimating that total value could reach a record breaking USD 18bn...
NORWAY - Norvestor closes Fund V at EUR 236m
Norvestor Equity AS has held a final close of its new vehicle Norvestor V LP (Fund V) with total commitments of EUR 236m.
UK - RBS sells debt
According to reports, Royal Bank of Scotland has sold ТЃ4.2bn of loans used to finance private equity acquisitions to a consortium comprising Apollo, TPG and Blackstone's debt investment arm GSO Capital.
UK - HBOS could invest £100m into portfolio company
According to reports, HBOS could be forced to inject approximately ТЃ100m of equity into portfolio construction company Crest Nicholson, which is thought to be close to breaching a banking covenant.
UK - Asian investors eying Apax
According to reports, three Asia-pacific based investors are interested in acquiring the 10% stake put up for sale by Apax Partners, with valuations thought to be around the USD 10bn mark.
FRANCE - Belvedere in talks with private equity
Drinks manufacturer Belvedere is reportedly in talks with several private equity houses regarding the potential sale of around 400,000 of its listed shares, representing a 15% stake in the business.
UK - Octopus appoints investment manager
Octopus Investments has appointed Matthew Setchell as investment manager.
UK - Sovereign-backed Renovo acquires 1st Saxon-Clenmay
Sovereign Capital-backed Renovo Services Group has acquired gas and electrical maintenance provider 1st Saxon-Clenmay Group for an undisclosed sum.
UK - RJD backs IPES buyout
RJD Partners has backed the buyout of IPES Holdings Ltd, a provider of outsourced fund administration services.
CEE - Advent sells Axtone to IK
Advent International has sold rail freight buffer manufacturer Axtone to IK Investment Partners.
UK - Investec hires two
Investec Investment Bank and Securities has appointed Gareth Taylor as director in the corporate finance division and Matthew Wesley as associate director in the debt advisory team.
SPAIN - Clave Mayor increases its stake in Gocco
Clave Mayor has increased its stake in children’s fashion brand Gocco to 25% in a EUR 3.3m expansion capital deal.
ITALY - Ambienta acquires 80% stake in Italiana Pellets
Ambienta Sgr has announced it will acquire an 80% stake in bio-fuel producer Italiana Pellets in a deal valued at EUR 5.4m, with the founder, Ercole Cacciami, retaining the balance of the equity. The investment, which was structured as a capital increase,...