News
RUSSIA – Aurora Russia acquires Volzhski Universalny Bank
Aurora Russia has wholly acquired Russian Volzhski Universalny Bank (VUB) through its Cypriot holding Flexinvest. Of the £6.36m invested in Flexinvest, £4.52m was used to purchase VUB, the £1.87m balance was invested in the bank to cover post-acquisition...
UK - Longbow and Capital Fund invest £1m in Domainex
Longbow Capital and The Capital Fund have invested £1m in biopharmaceutical company Domainex.
GLOBAL – Industry leaders outline challenges at BVCA summit
At today's BVCA’s 25th Anniversary VIP Summit, run in association with unquote”, market leaders hammered out what they believe to be the major challenges facing the industry in the year to come.
UK - Spark, Catapult and Nesta invest in Haemostatix
Spark Ventures, Catapult and Nesta have invested £1.24m in drug development company Haemostatix Ltd.
SPAIN – Apax-backed Panrico acquires biscuit manufacturer
Apax-backed Panrico has acquired biscuit manufacturer Artiach, which consists of some 20 Kraft biscuit brands.
SPAIN –Carlyle and Vista-owned Orizonia approches Globalia
It is believed that Carlyle and Vista-owned tour-operator group Orizonia has approached Globalia with a buyout offer.
UK - Ludgate backs packaging solutions company
Ludgate Environmental Fund Limited has commited £4m into Rapid Action Packaging (RAP) Limited; of this sum, £1.5m will go to ordinary shares and £2.5m towards a convertible unsecured loan stock (CULS).
SPAIN – CVC-controlled franchise to enter UK market
CVC-controlled franchise Cañas y Tapas will open its first UK restaurant in Leicester. The franchise, part of grupo Zena, will open another five restaurants in Liverpool, Birmingham and London.
FINLAND - TietoEnator's board rejects Nordic Capital's EUR 1.1bn offer
The board of directors of TietoEnator has rejected Nordic Capital's EUR 1.1bn offer, claiming the price does not reflect the true value of the company and recommends shareholders and holders of stock options not to sell.
UK - Finance Wales invests in Epitiro
Finance Wales has invested an undisclosed sum in Epitiro, a company which undertakes analysis of broadband providers.
UK - Acorn backs two mechanical services companies
Acorn Capital Partners has backed the buyout of Thermotech and TAC Mechanical Services, a provider of fire protection systems maintenance and a provider of air conditioning systems maintenance repectively.
FRANCE – Meridiam closes EUR 600m infrastructure fund
Crédit Agricole subsidiary Meridiam Infrastructure has closed a EUR 600m fund. The fund will be dedicated to investments in infrastructure projects financed by public/private partnership contracts or subject to concessions.
NORWAY - Reiten & Co acquires Brubakken
Reiten & Co Capital Partners VII has acquired a majority stake in Brubakken, a supplier of forklifts and material handling machines, for an undisclosed value.
FRANCE – Demeter injects EUR 1.5m in TREZ
Demeter Partners has invested EUR 1.5m in TREZ in a first round of financing. TREZ plans to industrialise an innovative patented zinc-bearing hazardous waste process originating from the surface treatment industry. The financing round will be used to...
WORLD - Warburg Pincus closes $15bn fund
Warburg Pincus has closed its latest fund, Warburg Pincus Private Equity X on $15bn. The fund has a broad investment remit focusing on early-stage investments through to buyouts and special situations.
UK - YFM in £2m investment in Micrima
YFM Group and Swarraton Partners have led a £2m investment in Micrima, a company that is developing radio wave technology to improve the detection of breast cancer.
SPAIN – Riva y García backs sportsware firm
Riva y García has invested in sportswear company Kelme in a deal valued at approximately EUR 14m.
UK - Shackleton Ventures raises fund and strikes deal
Shackleton Ventures has closed Shackleton Secondaries II LP (SSIILP), a £25m fund dedicated to secondary deals. The private equity house has also purchased 13 portfolio companies from 3i for an undisclosed amount.
UK - Matrix re-cap delivers 5x returns
Matrix Private Equity Partners (MPEP) has re-capitalised Holloway White Allom, a construction company. The deal was financed with £5m of cash and a £12m debt package from Lloyds TSB.
FRANCE – Blackstone seeking Vitalia Exit
The Blackstone Group is reportedly seeking to divest healthcare clinic operator Vitalia. The company has 46 clinics and generates around EUR 650 million in revenues.
ITALY – Advent-backed Venere signs Chinese deal
Advent-backed travel and accommodation operator Venere.com has signed an agreement with Chinese travel group Derbysoft, granting the travel agencies in Derbysoft's portfolio access to the services and offers available through Venere.com.
UK - Epi-V invests £5m in Guardian Global Technology Group
Oil and gas private equity fund Epi-V has invested £5m in Guardian Global Technology Group, a manufacturer of specialist measurement equipment used in oil field production.
UK - EAT on the block
Advent International and Morgan Stanley Private Equity are believed to be among potential bidders for sandwich chain EAT. The company could go for as much as £150m. Advent International and Morgan Stanley Private Equity lost out to Bridgepoint in the...
SPAIN – N+1 acquires logistics firm
N+1 has acquired an 84% stake in logistics firm Bestin in a deal valued at EUR 26.8m. EUR 13.4m was provided in the form of a capital expansion and the other half as a participatory loan.