News
UK - Rutland acquires ATM operator in £45.3m deal
Rutland Partners' portfolio company Notemachine Ltd has acquired TRM (ATM) Ltd, the UK operations of TRM Inc. for ТЃ45.3m. Notemachine, formerly Scott Tod was delisted from AIM by Rutland in September 2006 and TRM is a complementary business involved...
US - 3i growth capital business enters US
3i has recruited nine private equity professionals to form its new US growth capital team and has opened an office in New York to spearhead its growth activities in the US. An additional five investors will join over the course of 2007. The founding partners...
UK - Founder of Ingenious Media joins NESTA board
Patrick McKenna, founder and chairman of Ingenious Media and a leading figure in the creative industries, will join the 11-strong NESTA board of trustees. The board, led by chairman Chris Powell, exists to help NESTA shape and develop its strategy and...
FRANCE - Sasa's take-private blocked by speculative fund
Investment managaer Jousse Morillon Investissement has taken just over 5% of Sasa Industrie, blocking Weinberg Capital Partners' attempt to reach the 95% needed to delist the bakery equipment manufacturer.
FRANCE - MBO Partenaires acquires 35% of Degetel
MBO Partenaires has backed the management buyout of IT services company Degetel. The private equity firm took a 35% stake, with the balance being retained by management. Banque Palatine led the pool of banks which underwrote the debt package.
FRANCE - AXA Private Equity backs European expansion of rich contents producer
AXA Private Equity has announced it has invested in Brainsonic, a Paris-based rich media contents producer.
SPAIN - Permira refinances DinoSol's debt package
Following its investment of DinoSol (formerly Ahold's) in 2004, Permira has refinanced the supermarket chain's debt, which currently sits at just under EUR 500m.
CEE - Private equity eyes up Bulgarian telco… again
Private equity firms are reported to be interested in the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company after Novator, the investment vehicle owned by Icelandic billionaire Thor Bjorgolfsson, brought in Lehman Brothers to advise it. Novator acquired a 65% stake...
ITALY - BC Partners joins the competition for Alitalia
Press reports suggest that pan-European firm BC Partners is also interested in troubled airline Alitalia.
ITALY - Ferretti deal obtains antitrust approval
The purchase of luxury yacht manufacturer Ferretti, by Candover from Permira received clearance from the Italian antitrust authorities yesterday.
UK – The Capital Funds injects £250k into LFH
London growth investor The Capital Fund has invested ТЃ250,000 in LFH Brand Identity, a print and design management agency. The funding will be used to procure new business, as well as to consolidate existing client relationships. The Capital Fund is...
FRANCE - XAnge and Aurinvest pair up to back business search engine developer
XAnge and Aurinvest have injected EUR 4m in software developer Sinequa. XAnge invested three quarters of this series-A funding through XAnge and Capital and two of its FCPI funds.
UK - Blackstone, Bain, KKR and Carlyle boost BVCA
US-based Blackstone, Bain Capital, Carlyle and KKR have all joined the BVCA reflecting the body's important role in promoting the image of private equity.
UK - Ingenious VCTs back Peter Gabriel
Ingenious Media's two music VCTs have made a further joint investment, totalling ТЃ2m, to support the North American release of the next solo album of international artist, Peter Gabriel. The investment will be made through the formation of a joint venture...
EUROPE - European Buyout Review shows 2006 record year for private equity
2006 was a record year for European buyouts with the total value of deals topping over EUR 160bn for the first time ever, according to the latest European Buyout Review due to be published in March 2007 by Incisive Media in association with Bridgepoint....
NL - Apax to sell stake in PCM
Apax Partners has reportedly sold its 47.5% stake in Dutch publishing firm PCM Uitgevers to Stichting Democratie en Media (SDM), currently owner of 41.9% of the shares.
UK - Braveheart invests £1m in NiTech Solutions
Braveheart Investment Group has invested approximately ТЃ1m in NiTech Solutions Ltd, a spinout company from Heriot Watt University, which has developed a patented mixing technology for process industries. The investment includes monies from the Scottish...
UK - Hutton Collins backs MBO of Windsor
Hutton Collins is backing the management team of Windsor, the insurance broker, in a take-private deal worth ТЃ33.7m. Hutton Collins is providing ТЃ15m in debt and equity financing alongside a ТЃ19m senior debt package supplied by KBC.
NL - AVR acquires Van Gansewinkel
AVR, the Rotterdam-based waste disposal company owned by KKR, CVC and Oranje Nassau Group, has agreed to acquire fellow waste disposal firm Van Gansewinkel from founder Leo van Gansewinkel (73%) and ING Corporate Investment (20%). The acquisition price...
ITALY - Investors deny sale of SEAT Pagine Gialle
According to reports in the Italian press, Investitori Associati and the other backers of SEAT Pagine Gialle are not looking into selling their joint stake of 50.1% in the directory business this year.
SPAIN - Permira refinances DinoSol's debt package
Following its investment in DinoSol (formerly Ahold's) in 2004, Permira has refinanced the supermarket chain's debt, which currently sits at just under EUR 500m.
GERMANY - AFINUM exits portfolio to AVIDA
Deutsche unquote" can exclusively report that AFINUM Management has sold a portfolio of four mid-cap companies to AVIDA Group, Düsseldorf, for an undisclosed amount. The sale means a full exit of AFINUM’s portfolio companies Holmer Maschinenbau GmbH,...
SPAIN - Catalana d'Iniciatives hires Albert Alsina as investment director
Barcelona-based firm Catalana d'Iniciatives has recently hired Albert Alsina as the firm's investment director for its private equity operations.
SPAIN - Advent sells Parques Reunidos in Spain's largest ever exit
As anticipated by unquote news" on 17 January, Candover has acquired leisure complex Parques Reunidos from Advent International in Spain's first mega-deal of the year.