News
UK - HBOS joins 3i and Bridgepoint in race for Erinaceous
Bank of Scotland has joined the race to acquire property services group Erinaceous. The London-listed company has a market capitalisation of approximately ТЃ300m. Erinaceous' management are reported to be looking to delist it with 3i and Bridgepoint already...
IRELAND - Alchemy to delist Calyx from AIM in £70.2m deal
Alchemy Partners is to delist business technology support provider Calyx from AIM in a ТЃ70.2m deal. The deal is being undertaken by Alchemy-owned vehicle Stornaway which to date holds a 59% stake in Calyx. Anglo Irish Bank is providing debt facilities...
SPAIN - Valcapital takes 30% stake in Domélite
Private equity firm Valcapital has taken a minority stake via a capital increase in Domélite, a company specialised in remote control systems for domestic use. It is understood that the deal is worth around EUR 300,000.
ITALY - Michele Russo buys majority stake in Opera
Michele Russo, the frontman of Doughty Hanson in Italy, has reportedly acquired 75% of luxury goods fund Opera from its management and fashion house Bulgari.
FRANCE - Implanet Partners receives EUR 13m from Franco-German syndicate
Bordeaux-based medical technology start-up Implanet has received EUR 13m from a syndicate led by Auriga Partners, Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners and Wellington Partners.
HUNGARY - KBC invests in Grafika Press
KBC Private Equity has acquired a minority shareholding in Hungarian printing company Grafika Press. Additionally, the financial investor provided Grafika with a mezzanine facility to finance the acquisition of assets from another Hungarian printing company...
GERMANY - 3i floats SFC Smart Fuel Cell
3i has floated its portfolio company SFC Smart Fuel Cell on the Prime Standard in Frankfurt. A total of 2,395,275 shares were placed at an issue price of EUR 37. The total placement comprises 1,317,990 shares from a capital increase and 726,073 shares...
UK - Permira portfolio company acquires Hayley Conference Centres from 3i
3i has exited Hayley Conference Centres in a ТЃ385m deal which sees Permira-backed Principal Hotels acquire the nine-strong conference centre chain. 3i acquired Hayley Conference Centres in a ТЃ180m secondary buyout from Legal and General Ventures in...
ITALY - MPS Venture supports recovery of Arquati
MPS Venture has taken a 15% stake via a capital increase in Arquati SpA, a group specialised in the design and manufacture of picture frame moulding and products for the window covering industry.
FRANCE - Apax's PIPE in GFI falls through
A capital increase which would have granted Apax Partners 27% in listed computer services company GFI Informatique has been cancelled, following an executive board meeting.
FRANCE - Institutional LPs give advice on reporting
Ten fresh recommendations were issued this month by the French association of institutional investors (Af2i), in order to improve and standardise the reporting methods of private equity firms.
UK - August Equity exits InterMed in £27.5m sale to Altaris
August Equity has completed the sale of InterMed Holdings Ltd, a UK manufacturer of anaesthesia equipment, to Altaris Capital Partners for ТЃ27.5m. The purchaser is a New York-based private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry.
UK - Alchemy in exit from ICS Triplex
Alchemy has agreed to sell portfolio company ICS Triplex to Rockwell European Holdings Ltd for ТЃ105m. The sale of the process control systems service company follows Alchemy's disposal of another part of the ICS business in 2005 when it sold Transmitton...
SWEDEN - EQT sells the remaining 15.9% shares in Symrise AG
EQT III has sold its remaining stake in Symrise AG. It used Deutsche Bank as placing agent.
FRANCE - Cyclopharma raises EUR 8m
Clermont-Ferrand-based Cyclopharma has received EUR 8m from Sofimac, Crédit Agricole Private Equity, Société Générale Capital Partenaires, CHP laboratories, Tikehau Venture and a former Aventis director.
ITALY - Rainone promoted at PM&Partners; two managers take the backseat
Private equity firm PM&Partners has just appointed senior manager Riccardo Rainone as the firm's fourth partner.
UK - Rutland appoints Daniel Freed
Rutland Partners has announced that Daniel Freed has joined its investment team. Freed joins Rutland after spending three years at CIBC World Markets where he worked on European M&A transactions across a wide range of sectors prior to which he worked...
AUSTRIA - New Segment at Vienna Stock Exchange
The Vienna Stock Exchange has announced it is launching a mid-market segment, designed specifically for smaller companies with lower financing requirements, as of mid-June. The mid-market will have two special features: firstly, it will enable companies...
GERMANY - GEKA Brush changes hands
In a secondary transaction Halder, alongside management, has acquired GEKA Brush GmbH from Equita Management for an undisclosed amount.
UK - Ingenious Media Active Capital invests £5.34m in Two Way TV
Ingenious Media Active Capital Ltd (IMAC) has completed an investment of up to ТЃ5.34m to acquire Two Way Media Ltd (Two Way TV), a London-based interactive television production company. The transaction sees IMAC taking an 84.3% stake in the newco. This...
DENMARK - Carlyle leads consortium to create new city district in Copenhagen
The Carlyle Group and Hoffmann Ejendomme, a Danish property developer, are in the process of aquiring Copenhagen Wholesale Market (Grønttorvet København). The aim is build a new city district in in Copenhagen on the site where the market was previously...
UK - LDC acquires specialist marketing agency from Royal Bank Equity Finance
LDC has acquired specialist entertainment industry marketing agencies Picture Production Company (PPC). Buying in alongside its existing management team, LDC acquired the agency from Royal Bank Equity Finance and private shareholders, David Willing and...
SWEDEN - SVCA launches private equity 'internships' for politicians
In a move to counteract the bad press targeted at the private equity market recently, the Swedish Venture Capital Association (SVCA) has offered politicians an opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the industry. “It was a fantastic opportunity...
UK - Bank of Ireland appoints Christophe Tardy as director of leveraged syndicated finance
Bank of Ireland has appointed Christophe Tardy as director of Leveraged Syndicated Finance. Tardy will join Bank of Ireland in early July and will be based in London. Previously Tardy spent 15 years at Societe Generale becoming part of the European syndicated...