News
UK - Shackleton in further deal with 3i
Three months after it acquired four investments from 3i, Shackleton Ventures has purchased a further portfolio of nine companies from 3i. Shackleton is a specialist secondaries venture capital firm with the ability to draw on investment of up to ТЃ20m....
UK - RBS to sell Southern Water for £4bn
Royal Bank of Scotland is to sell Southern Water for ТЃ4bn. RBS has appointed Deutsche Bank to run a process to facilitate the sale of the water company which supplies homes in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire.
UK - Kreos appoints Luca Colciago as partner
Kreos Capital, the provider of debt financing for venture deals, has appointed Luca Colciago as partner. Colciago has focused specifically on venture debt for the past seven years. He joins Kreos from Noble Fund Managers, an alternative assets manager...
FRANCE - Avenir Tourisme invests in 5-a-side football
Urban Football, a company running 5-a-side football centres has received EUR 1m in equity and convertible bonds from Avenir Tourisme, its managers and other existing stakeholders.
FINLAND - CapMan acquires land in Vantaa
CapMan RE II has acquired land located in the Kivistö area of Vantaa, Finland. Under the existing plans, the land and surrounding properties will be zoned as a commercial services district.
NORWAY - NVCA reports strong growth in Norway
The Norwegian Venture Capital Association has released its annual statistics on the Norwegian market for 2006. In 2006, there were 15 new funds established with NOK 11.4bn of new capital raised. The association also reported a 75% increase in the amount...
UK - Terra Firma exits Thresher and pension assets of Thorn TV rental business
Terra Firma has sold the 2000-strong off-licence chain Thresher to a team of investors led by Edmund Truell. The deal includes the sale of another of Terra Firma's assets from its first fund, the pension assets of Thorn, the television rental company....
GERMANY - Henderson sells Homann to IFR Capital
Henderson Private Equity has exited food manufacturer Homann through a sale to AIM-listed investment company IFR Capital. IFR has acquired 100% of the share capital of Homann, continuing its strategy of consolidation in the European retail food sector....
NL - Lehman considers fund-of-funds IPO
Lehman Brother Private Equity has announced it is considering a Euronext Amsterdam listing for a fund-of-funds. Should the launch go ahead, Lehman will invest a substantial portion of its own funds in the vehicle, commit all capital raised through the...
ITALY - Alto Partners exit fashion business Gruppo Arcte
Fund Alto Capital II - managed by private equity firm Alto Partners - has announced the sale of its 90% stake in Gruppo Arcte to the Mariella Burani Group. The buyer is one of the largest Italian luxury groups, with a market capitalisation on the Italian...
FINLAND - 3i acquires 25% of DNA for EUR 140m
3i has acquired 25% of the shares in Finnet OY, a Finish mobile operator, for EUR 140m. Following the deal Finnet OY is to be renamed DNA. 3i's stake will be reduced to 13% after the anticipated merger of five local operators and DNA. The 25% stake has...
UK - CCMP Capital acquires BOC Edwards from Linde Group
CCMP Capital has acquired BOC Edwards from the Linde Group. BOC Edwards is a manufacturer of vacuum equipment used in high technology industries. CCMP Capital made the acquisition through funds managed by CCMP Capital Advisors and CCMP Capital Asia Ltd....
DENMARK - EQT acquires Cimbria
The EQT Opportunity Fund has agreed to acquire a majority of the shares in the Danish industrial engineering Company Cimbria A/S.
SWEDEN- Nordic Capital acquires Thule Group from Candover
Nordic Capital VI has acquired Thule Group from Candover. Thule Group is a sports utility transportation solution provider with revenues of SEK 6bn.
UK - KKR secures £11.1bn Boots deal in shareholder vote
Alliance Boots shareholders have voted in favour of KKR's ТЃ11.1bn takeover bid. Of the proxy votes cast ahead of the EGM, reckoned to be a good indicator of the EGM results, 96.3% of shareholders approved KKR's recommended offer. The first private equity...
UK - Palamon broadens governance
Palamon Capital Partners has announced a structural reorganisation in preparation for accelerated growth. Co-Founder Michael Hoffman is appointed to the new position of chairman of Palamon. Co-founder and managing partner, Louis Elson, will lead a newly...
UK - Index Ventures profits from CBS acquisition of Last.fm
Index Ventures has seen impressive returns from its year long investment in online social music network Last.fm. Founded in a Vienna basement, Last.fm is now headquartered in London and was acquired for $280m in cash by US television network CBS. It received...
CZECH REPUBLIC - Advent opens Prague office
Advent International has announced the opening of its Prague office, led by Chris Mruck. From this office, Advent will cover investment in the Czech and Slovak Republics and Hungary. With offices in Warsaw and Bucharest, this latest opening sees Advent...
SPAIN/FRANCE - CVC goes solo for Altadis bid
Following recent rumours of disagreements between CVC and PAI Partners in relation to their joint bid for tobacco business Altadis, CVC is said to be preparing an offer on its own.
UK - Aberdeen acquires £5m stake in Funeral Services Partnership
Aberdeen Asset Managers Growth Capital has acquired a ТЃ5m stake in Midlands-based Funeral Services Partnership Ltd, a newco set up to create a group of independent funeral businesses.
POLAND - Argan acquires majority stake in AAT Group
Argan Capital has acquired Polish distributor of security products and systems, AAT Group. Following completion of the transaction, Argan will hold a majority stake in the business. Established in 1995, AAT has a broad product offering which includes...
FRANCE - GIMV hires Dubus
Belgian-based Investment company GIMV has hired Geoffroy Dubus to head investments in the ICT sector in France. Dunus will also assist with the opening of GIMV's French office. Dunus was previously a partner at French private equity house Innovacom,...
UK - Aberdeen backs BIMBO of oil and gas tools rental company
Aberdeen Asset Managers Growth Capital has backed the BIMBO of ATR Group, a business which rents specialised tools and equipment to the offshore oil and gas industry. Aberdeen invested ТЃ3.9m in equity funding to support the transaction alongside debt...
UK - Blackstone-backed Tragus acquires Strada for £140m
Tragus, the restaurant group owned by Blackstone, has added high street pizza chain Strada to its portfolio in a ТЃ140m deal. The acquisition represents an exit for entrepreneur Richard Caring and will enlarge Tragus's offering by 55 sites. Tragus owns...