News
FRANCE - Financière Agache wins Go Voyages auction for EUR 281m
Bernard Arnault's holding company, Financière Agache has won the auction for the acquisition of travel agent Go Voyages. The deal values the business at EUR 281m, representing a capital gain of EUR 200m for its vendor, Accor.
UK - Midven invests £250,000 in software company Gemba Solutions
Midven has invested ТЃ250,000 in Gemba Solutions Ltd, a provider of real time performance management software. The investment from its ТЃ20m Advantage Growth Fund gives Midven a minority holding in the company.
NORWAY - FSN's VIA Travel enters Finland by acquiring Travelzon
FSN Capital-backed VIA Travel has acquired Travelzon Oy, a Finnish independent travel management company, from Berling Capital and three minority shareholders.
UK - TDR Capital to delist portable accommodation company
TDR Capital's offer for portable accommodation company Wraith Plc has been declared unconditional. The offer of 105p per share gives Lincolnshire-based Wraith a market capitalisation of ТЃ30.29m.
NORWAY - Northzone, Verdane and Ferd Venture invest EUR 10m in Colibria
Norwegian Colibria, a provider of new generation mobile instant messaging (MIM) services, has raised EUR 10m from current lead investors Northzone Ventures, Verdane Capital and Ferd Venture.
UK - Amadeus leads $10m funding round for Belfast-based Aepona
Existing investors Amadeus Capital Partners, Polaris Ventures and Trinity Venture Capital have participated in a $10m series-C funding round for Belfast-based Aepona. The new funding follows previous rounds in 2003 and 2005, bringing total investment...
SPAIN - Alex Wagenberg is promoted to MD of Carlyle
Alex Wagenberg has recently been promoted to managing director of The Carlyle Group in Spain.
SPAIN - e-Valora changes contact numbers
Valuation services company e-Valora has changed its telephone and fax numbers. The new contact information is as follows: Tel: +34 91 444 97 42 Fax: +34 91 402 51 80
FRANCE - Launch of Axonia Partners
Financial advisory boutique Axonia Partners has announced its launch. Axonia Partners is already working on several transactions, split equally between private equity clients and corporate clients.
GERMANY - DZ Equity Partners buys Bader Group
DZ Equity Partner GmbH and company management have acquired the Senden-based Bader Group. The transaction was supported by a senior debt package provided by IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG.
UK - Bank of Scotland housebuilding portfolio company in talks with trade buyer
Bank of Scotland housebuilding portfolio company Linden Holdings is in exclusive talks with listed housebuilding and construction company Galliford Try to be acquired. A possible deal would represent an exit for Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance which...
GERMANY - Advent International portfolio company makes acquisition
Advent International’s portfolio company CASA REHA Holding GmbH has announced that it has acquired fellow nursing home group Unternehmensgruppe Sozialkonzept GmbH. The transaction value has not been disclosed.
GERMANY - Rademacher Group changes hands in secondary transaction
In a secondary buyout, NORD Holding Unternehmensbeteiligungsgesellschaft has acquired the Rademacher Group from ARCADIA. Management also invested and will hold a minority stake. The transaction value has not been disclosed.
UK - Close Brothers Corporate Finance boosts team
Close Brothers Corporate Finance has boosted its senior management team with the appointment of Henry Wells as a new director to its leisure and retail sector group.
POLAND - FL Group sells Kentpol
FL Group, the private equity arm of Icelandic bank, has fully exited its investment in Polish soft drinks and mineral water company Kentpol to Refresco Holding for an undisclosed sum. Following the transaction, Kentpol will continue to produce under its...
UK - West Coast Capital and HBOS lose out on £2.13bn Wilson Bowden deal
West Coast Capital, the private equity vehicle belonging to Sir Tom Hunter, which had been bidding with Bank of Scotland Corporate for house-builder Wilson Bowden lost out in the final stages of the auction.
UK - Monument Group announces expansion of partnership
Placement agent Monument Group Inc has announced the promotion of Martin Anthonsen and Laurence Zage to the existing partnership.
UK - The Carlyle Group acquires The Mill from 3i
The Carlye Group has acquired advertising visual effects group The Mill in a secondary management buyout from 3i for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition was made through Carlyle's technology fund, Carlyle Europe Technology Partners. Founded in 1990, The...
UK - Enterprise Equity has acquires Northern Irish bus company
Enterprise Equity, a private equity house with offices in both Northern Ireland and Eire, has acquired Chambers Coach Hire in a deal of undisclosed value. Chambers hires out coaches, mini-buses and limousines.
GERMANY - Venture capitalists exit Xignal Technologies
Benchmark Capital Europe, Atila Ventures, BayTech Venture Capital and STAR Ventures have exited their stakes in German data converter developer Xignal Technologies via a sale to US-based National Semiconductor Corporation. The venture capitalists had...
UK - TowerBrook leads tertiary £185m MBO of Jimmy Choo
TowerBrook Capital Partners has acquired luxury shoe company Jimmy Choo from Lion Capital in a ТЃ185m management buyout deal. Galas Capital, founder and president of Jimmy Choo, Tamara Mellon, along with CEO Robert Bensoussan and the rest of the company's...
UK - Countrywide a target again as Apollo circles
Market sources suggest that Apollo is preparing to launch a bid for Countrywide. The UK estate agency chain was recently the subject of a 3i take-private bid which lost its footing after shareholders, including a number of hedge funds, believed 3i's offer...
UK - Sainsbury's would be Europe's biggest deal
Speculation about private equity's first foray into the FTSE 100 via a possible take-over of supermarket giant Sainsbury's has intensified over the weekend. CVC, Blackstone and KKR revealed they were considering a bid for the company after the founding...
FRANCE - TCR Capital backs secondary buyout of Locatel
Via its fund TCR Capital Partners III, the private equity firm has backed the secondary buyout of hotel and hospital multimedia services provider Locatel.