News
ITALY - Morgan Stanley nominates new country head
Morgan Stanley has appointed Domenico Siniscalco as the country head and chief executive of its Italian business, reporting to Walid Chammah, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, with effect from 1st December.
DENMARK - Speaknet secures $10m from Via Venture Partners et al.
Speaknet, a Danish software company, has secured $10m from Via Venture Partners, NorthZone Ventures and Eqvitec Partners. The funding round will be used to expand internationally and to support strong customer growth in Denmark. The company is planning...
GERMANY – T-Online Venture invests in zweitgeist
T-Online Venture Fund has invested an undisclosed sum in Hamburg-based start-up zweitgeist GmbH. This investment will support zweitgeist’s aim to expand internationally. Additionally the company will benefit through access to cooperation partners belonging...
UK - MMC invests £10m in Neoss
MMC Ventures has made a £10m equity investment in dental implant company Neoss.
GERMANY - Montagu portfolio company acquires FLA Orthopedics Inc
Hamburg-based BNS medical, a Montagu Private Equity portfolio company, has acquired FLA Orthopedics Inc from The Riverside Company through its US subsidiary, BSN medical Inc. The transaction value has not been disclosed. Florida-based FLA Orthopedics...
UK - Zeus acquires stake in online floral business
Zeus Private Equity (ZPE) has made the second investment from its maiden fund, taking a majority stake in online floral and gift company, Flowers Direct Ltd. ZPE’s investment will allow Flowers Direct to invest further in operational infrastructure...
UK - Virgin Active to float next year
Health and fitness group Virgin Active is due to float next year. Bridgepoint and Permira are both minority shareholders in Virgin Active, the UK's second-largest chain of gyms, following Virgin's acquisition of Holmes Place. Bridgepoint and Permira together...
UK - Delta Two drops bid for Sainsbury
Delta Two has abandoned its attempt to acquire J Sainsburys, the FTSE100 supermarket chain. Qatari investment vehicle Delta Two began preliminary discussions with Sainsbury in July this year making a 600p per share indicative offer for the group. Delta...
FRANCE - Pechel, CIC Finance and LCL back pret-a-porter merger
Pechel Industries, CIC Finance and LCL Régions Développement have backed the management buyout of a newly-merged pret-a-porter group.
UK - Gresham appoints new investment partner
Gresham has appointed James Slipper as investment partner. The move is effective from 3 December 2007.
UK - One Equity submits full bid for Jaguar and Land Rover
One Equity, the private equity arm of JP Morgan, is understood to be one of three groups to have submitted a full bid for Jaguar and Land Rover. Ford decided to sell its UK assets - Jaguar and Land Rover - as part of a move to reduce its debt. Ripplewood,...
UK - Bankinvest and Espirito Santo co-lead £10.4m investment in Atraverda
Denmark-based Bankinvest New Energy Solutions and Portugal-based Espirito Santo Ventures have co-led a £10.4m series-B funding round for Atraverda, an advanced chemicals company.
GERMANY – Dubai International Capital buys Almatis
Dubai International Capital LLC has agreed to acquire specialty alumina producer Almatis from funds controlled by Rhône Capital L.L.C. and Teachers’ Private Capital. Dubai International Capital will retain the current management team and support Almatis’...
SWITZERLAND – Acomon AG buys Chemtura’s optical monomers business
Acomon AG, Zug-based affiliate of German private equity firm Auctus Management GmbH & Co. KG, has purchased Chemtura Corporation’s optical monomers business. The deal value of this all-cash transaction was not disclosed. Chemtura’s Ravenna, Italy-based...
ITALY - Consilium acquires valve manufacturer
Shortly after completing its fundraising, SME-focused firm Consilium has acquired Douglas Chero Group, a manufacturer of forged valves for the petrochemical industry. The deal represents an exit for the founding family shareholders.
GERMANY - ADCURAM Group AG buys Hennecke Group from Bayer
ADCURAM Group AG has purchased polyurethane processing machinery business Hennecke GmbH from Bayer for an undisclosed sum. The transaction is due to complete before the end of the year. With this transaction, ADCURAM further strengthens its manufacturing...
ITALY - De Cecco torn between sale options
The upcoming IPO of pasta manufacturer De Cecco was accompanied by the recent news that the business may pull its listing to sell to a private equity buyer.
UK - Endless acquires Lancashire Chemical Works
Endless has acquired Lancashire Chemical Works Ltd (LCW), for an undisclosed sum, in a management buy-in deal led by Richard Sykes. The transaction represents an exit for the family shareholders. Incoming managing director Sykes had been looking at the...
FRANCE - 21 Centrale Partners to build healthcare group on the French riviera
21 Centrale Partners has acquired Marseille-headquartered health clinic Chantecler, as the first step of its project to consolidate top-end healthcare providers on the Cote d'Azur.
UK - Sovereign reaps 5.7x return from Complete sale
Sovereign Capital has wholly exited its stake in homecare services provider Complete Group in a £33m trade sale to Claimer Care Group Plc, generating returns of 5.7x the money invested and an IRR of 51%.
FRANCE - Galileo invests further EUR 4m in MeilleurMobile
Galileo Partners has invested an additional EUR 4m in its portfolio company MeilleurMobile.com, an online mobile phone retailer.
SWEDEN - 3i sells Coor Service Management Group to Cinven for EUR 540m
3i has sold its stake in Coor Service Management Group AB, a service management sector, to Cinven for approximately EUR 540m.
SPAIN - Crystax to close second financing round
Biotech business Crystax, backed by Najeti Capital, Invertec and Barcelona Emprèn, is understood to be in advanced stages of its second financing round to further its research into the development of anti-cancerous pharmaceuticals that act on DNA.