News
UK - Apax-backed Travelex disposes of ATMs in £12.9m deal
Travelex, the non-bank provider of commercial foreign exchange owned by Apax Partners with Standard Chartered Bank is to dispose of its 1,070 surcharging ATMs. The ATMs will be acquired by AIM-listed Cardpoint Plc for a cash consideration of ТЃ12.9m....
UK - Endless and NorthStar Equity back pharmaceutical services firm
Endless and North Star Equity Investors have provided pharmaceutical and biotechnology services firm Excelsyn with a seven-figure investment to underpin the company's strategy of becoming a leading provider within the pharmaceutical supply chain.
FRANCE - Diana Ingrédients to be sold by Cognetas
European private equity firm Cognetas (formerly known as Electra Partners) has mandated both Hawkpoint and BNP Paribas to run the sale of Diana Ingrédients, according to French press reports.
UK - Research shows £270m of cleantech invesment in Europe in 2006
Investment in cleantech as a whole is increasing т 102 deals were completed in 2006, resulting in over ТЃ270m of investment across Europe, with 40% of all European venture-backed cleantech companies located in the UK. However, the findings also reveal...
UK - NVM strengthens its investment team with new appointment
NVM Private Equity has appointed Clive Austin as part of its expanding investment team. In his new role Austin will be covering the North West England. He joins NVM from Catapult Venture Managers where he established its Birmingham office. At Catapult...
IRELAND - JP Morgan to advise Ireland's national pensions reserve fund
JPMorgan Worldwide Securities Services has won a mandate to provide property and private equity fund accounting and administrative services for the National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF), Irelandтs state pension reserve fund.
UK - Hammonds boosts private equity team with two partnership appointments
Hammonds' private equity practice has appointed two new specialist partners. Tim Hewens and Nick Watson have both been promoted internally to the partnership. Hewens, based in the London office of the law firm, has significant experience in acting for...
SPAIN- Apax joins the competition for Iberia
Apax Partners is said to be joining the competition for Spanish airline Iberia. It is understood that the buyout firm has contacted local private jet business Gestair to join in a possible bid.
FRANCE - A Plus, CDC and Banexi Ventures invest EUR 5m in Brandalley
Online discount clothes retailer Brandalley has raised a EUR 5m second round of funding from A Plus Finance, CDC Entreprises (investing on behalf of state initiative France Investissement) and first round backer Banexi Ventures.
FRANCE - DeA Capital invests in Générale de Santé
DeA Capital, De Agostini's listed investment holding, will take at least 35% of Santé Sarl, a holding which indirectly owns 59.8% of French listed private healthcare group Générale de Santé.
EUROPE - unquote'' Benelux Private Equity Congress
unquoteт is excited to bring you the second unquoteт Benelux Private Equity Congress, on 19 April 2007 in Luxembourg.
UK - Hotbed exit from nursing home company generates 31% IRR
Hotbed has achieved an IRR of 31% from an exit from nursing home group Mimosa Healthcare Holdings Ltd. Hotbed has sold its 25% stake in the company, which it acquired in 2005 following a ТЃ5.15m investment in two tranches, back to the company and its...
SWEDEN - NASDAQ is rumoured to be interested in OMX
Rumour has it that NASDAQ is considering a bid for OMX. The bid is rumoured to be approximately SEK 23bn at a price of SEK 192 per share. The possible acquisition is in line with an increased globalisation of stock trading. A consolidated exchange platform...
UK - Bank of Ireland appoints new UK acquisition finance MD
Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking has appointed Peter Dunsby as UK managing director, Global Acquisition Finance. Dunsby joins Bank of Ireland from CIBC World Markets in London where he was executive director of its European leveraged finance business....
UK - LDC bid for Tote blocked
The sale of state-owned horseracing bookmaker Tote to a consortium backed by LDC is reported to have been blocked by the government. Sources suggest that Gordon Brown was conscious of distancing himself from private equity in the run-up to the Labour...
UK - Speculation surrounds 3i's bid for Foxtons
3i has reached the final stages of an auction to acquire estate agency chain Foxtons from its founder Jon Hunt. Foxtons is thought to fetch in excess of ТЃ400m via a process run by Credit Suisse. BC Partners is also in the running to acquire the asset....
NL - Van den Ende & Deitmers invests in Advance
The Crossmedia Fund of Van den Ende & Deitmers has acquired a 30% stake in Advance.
UK - Barclays Ventures refinances Original Additions
Barclays Ventures has refinanced branded beauty products business Original Additions via a ТЃ13m debt package from RBS. The refinance which has repaid all of Barclays Ventures' original funding has also delivered a 31% IRR for the institution. Barclays...
ITALY - Bidders to present offers for Alitalia today
By the end of this afternoon, prospective buyers of Alitalia will present their offers for a stake of up to 39.9% in the airline. The offers should be presented by 5pm CET, along with preliminary business plans until 2012, shareholding to be purchased...
FRANCE - Spef LBO sells Colorant Chromatix
Spef LBO has generated highly satisfactory returns from the sale of colour and additives supplier Colorant Chromatix to trade buyer ColorMatix.
FRANCE - Crédit Agricole Private Equity invests in business mobility software
Sparus Software has raised EUR 3-4m in its second round of financing, from Crédit Agricole Private Equity (CAPE) and AXA Private Equity (AXA PE).
NORWAY - ProVenture Seed invests NOK 4m in New Index AS
ProVenture Seed has invested seed capital as part of the development of New Index, a technology company based in Trondheim. The investor has developed a business development plan for the coming to years to secure growth going forward, and additionally...
NL - Wessanen and Rabo Capital to merge frozen snack business
Royal Wessanen and Rabo Capital have come to an agreement with the intention to set up a new company that merges the activities of Habek Snacks and Wessanen in ragout rolls ('kroketten'), hamburgers, meat rolls (‘frikandellen’) and halal snacks. Wessanen...
UK - Law firm Stephenson Harwood strengthens team
Law firm Stephenson Harwood has strengthened its corporate group and India practice by appointing Pawan Sharma as a corporate partner, from Grundberg Mocatta Rakison. Sharma's expertise lies in a broad range of corporate finance work including AIM listings,...