News
ITALY - First Capital to invest in listed SMEs
First Capital is a new independent investment company set to invest in listed SMEs or pre-IPO companies following a private equity analysis model.
UK - Graphite portfolio company AMS buys Capital Consulting
Graphite Capital-backed Alexander Mann Solutions (AMS) is buying Capital Consulting, consolidating AMS’ leading position in the European market for recruitment process outsourcing (RPO). AMS is the largest independent provider of RPO solutions to blue-chip...
FINLAND - Borenius & Kemppinen announces three promotions
Borenius & Kemppinen has announced three promotions in its tax division.
UK - Endless launches in London
Endless has set up an office in London and appointed Del Huse as its managing director in London to spearhead Endless’s activities in the capital. Huse was formerly a partner with Kroll Corporate Finance in London and before that was with Andersen.
UK - HgCapital sells Clarion Events to VSS for £120.5m
HgCapital has sold independent exhibition and events business Clarion Events Ltd to US private equity investor Veronis Suhler Stevenson for an enterprise value of £120.5m. The sale has generated an IRR of 34% for investors.
UK - Bridgepoint emerges as likeliest buyer for Prêt in £350m deal
According to reports, Bridgepoint is set to buy 200-strong sandwich chain Prêt A Manger from its consortium of vendors for £350m. Rothschilds was hired last year to run a sale process. A price tag of £400m was originally suggested but it is understood...
UK - Vision Capital-backed Portman acquires Fleet Street Travel
Vision Capital portfolio company Portman Travel, a business travel management company, has acquired Fleet Street Travel in a multi-million pound deal. Portman's turnover in 2008 is projected to exceed £400m compared with £296m in 2007. Fleet Street...
BALTIC - BaltCap acquires Interinfo Group for EUR 20-30m
BaltCap has acquired 100% of the Interinfo Group in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, for EUR 20-30m.
FRANCE – Pechel holds second close of fund on EUR 101m
Pechel Industries Partenaires has held a second close of new fund Pechel Industries III on EUR 101m. The fund will be used to invest in development capital and LBOs in small to mid-sized French companies with equity commitments of EUR 7-20m per deal.
FRANCE – Atria backs MBO of Abcd
Atria Capital Partenaires has backed the MBO of Abcd from Affine. Atria will become the majority shareholder in the new holding vehicle Abcdgroup with the management team led, by founders Patrick Canac and Francis Robert, taking a minority stake.
UK - Latham & Watkins appoints Daniel Maze to leveraged finance team
Latham & Watkins has announced that Daniel Maze will join the firm’s London office as a partner in the Finance Department, effective from 1 March. Maze specialises in acquisition finance, including senior finance, second lien and mezzanine facilities,...
ITALY/FRANCE - 360° Capital closes fund on EUR 100m+
360° Capital Partners has announced the closing of its latest vehicle on over EUR 100m.
CEE - Arca Capital sells Czech Precision Forge
Slovak Arca Capital has sold its remaining share in Czech Precision Forge, a pilsner engineering company. In April 2003, the fund invested EUR 4.7m in the company.
SWEDEN - EQT’s bid for Securitas Direct extended again
The acceptance period of ESML’s, jointly owned by EQT (c64%), Säkl (c8%), Melker Schörling AB (MSAB) and Investment AB Latour (c17%), bid for Securitas Direct has been extended until 14 March 2008 at 16:00 CET.
SPAIN – Mercapital names new Chairman
Spanish private equity player Mercapital has named Javier Loizaga Jimenez as its new chairman.
GERMANY – NORD Holding acquires Teupen
NORD Holding has acquired a majority stake in Teupen Maschinenbau GmbH, a provider of mobile height access technology. The investment will be used to fund further growth of the company, which is based in Gronau and was founded in 1977. The company expects...
CEE - Series of investments in Czech Republic
Arca Capital has invested in Kasa, a Czech online store. Warburg Pincus is currently in talks to buy Atlas, the third largest Czech search engine after acquiring a majority stake in its rival Centrum, last December.
RUSSIA - ASI injects $200,000 in LogneX
Ambient Sound Investments has invested $200,000 in LogneX, a Russian software development company, bringing its stake to 30%.
SWEDEN - Nomura Phase4, TVM and Scottish Widows invest $27m in AstraZeneca spin-out
Nomura Phase4 Ventures has led a $27m round in Albiero, a Swedish biotechnology company spun-out from AstraZeneca. TVM Capital and Scottish Widows have also invested in the business.
GERMANY - Waterland sells sds business services for EUR 46m
Waterland Private Equity Investments has sold sds business services GmbH to Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) Inc for EUR 46m, with ACS also assuming liabilities to purchase sds.
ITALY - Efibanca acquires design company MGM.it
Efibanca-managed Star Bridge Social Responsible Fund has acquired an 80% stake in design company MGM.it.
GERMANY - Ripplewood interested in stricken IKB
According to press reports, US private equity house Ripplewood Holdings is interested in acquiring part or all of IKB bank, which suffered heavily from the subprime crisis. The deadline for nonbinding offers for the bank has been postponed to enable potential...
GERMANY - Novo Nordisk Biotech Fund brings total raised in Affimed to EUR 30m
Novo Nordisk Biotech Fund has committed EUR 5m to a second closing of a series-B funding round for Affimed Therapeutics AG, bringing the total raised at this stage to EUR 30m.
SPAIN - Abraxa launches two renewable energy funds
Abraxa Integrated Financial Solutions has been granted authorisation by the Spanish stock exchange regulator CNMV to launch two funds - Abraxa Capital Privado II and Abraxa Capital Privado III.