News
UK - 3i sells HSS to Aurigo and Och-Ziff
3i has announced the sale of UK tool hire company HSS to Aurigo and Och-Ziff for £310m, generating a multiple of 4x for the investor. 3i acquired HSS in 2004 and during its ownership of the asset re-structured its business model. Hawkpoint Partners...
UK - Duke Street in take-private bid for Oasis Healthcare
Duke Street Capital has offered £76.9m for AIM-listed dental services provider Oasis Healthcare Plc. The offer of 82 pence per-share represents a premium of 74.4% on the closing price. The bid is being financed by a debt package supplied by Barclays...
AUSTRIA - Cycleenergy receives EUR 6.7m funding
3TS Capital Partners and Ventaac Beteiligungs- und Unternehmensberatung GmbH have invested EUR 4.3 and 2.4m respectivley in Austian bioenergy group Cycleenergy. The company will use EUR 6.7m financing to expand its biomass and biogas power plant activities...
AUSTRIA - ATV up for sale
According to Austrian press reports private equity firms are expected to bid for Austrian Bank BAWAG PSK’s 43% stake in Austria’s only nationwide commercial broadcaster ATV. Following the acquisition of BAWAG in the beginning of 2007 by a consortium...
UK - Investec backs Hamilton Bradshaw Human Capital in buyout of Eden Brown
Investec Private Bank's Growth & Acquisition Finance division has provided Hamilton Bradshaw Human Capital (HBHC) with funding to support the acquisition of leading recruitment specialist Eden Brown Ltd. The business has a turnover of £180m. HBHC specialises...
FINLAND - Industri Kapital divests Etel Networks to 3i making 2.5x
Industri Kapital and TeliaSonera have signed an agreement to sell their shares in Eltel Networks to 3i through an auction process which was held by Access Partners, making a 2.5x money multiple.
NORWAY - Verdane Capital Advirsors and Ferd Venture exits Nacre AS to Bacou-Dalloz
Bacou-Dalloz has acquired Nacre AS from Ferd Venture, Verdane Capital Advisors and Viking Venture. The transaction values Nacre at USD 135m, and Ferd Venture has announced that they will make a 15x return in cash on the divestment.
DENMARK- 7TM AS secures fourth-round investments of $22m
7TM Pharma AS, a Danish pharmaceutical, has raised around $22 million in a fourth-round funding from SR One Ltd, one of GlaxoSmithKline’s independent corporate healthcare venture capital fund. Other investors that have participated are Alta Partners,...
EUROPE - EVCA stats show record 2006 fundraising and investment
Final figures for European private equity activity and performance were announced by EVCA today, confirming a booming buyout industry and continued UK dominance. The figures also showed something of a revival for European venture, with €17bn allocated...
Quote" - Javier Echarri, Secretary General, EVCA
'The critics may not agree with it, but the capital market world we live in today is non-negotiable', Javier Echarri said in an interview with unquote" , in which he responded strongly to recent criticism of private equity from trade workers unions,...
UK - Midven reaps 12x money on sale of ScriptSwitch
Midven's partial exit of ScriptSwitch last month, a provider of software products to Primary Care Trusts, generated a return of nearly 12 times for the investor, with an IRR of 67%. As reported on unquotenews.com , ISIS Equity Partners completed a £9.9m...
NORWAY - Arcapita sells Roxar to CorrOcean
CorrOcean has entered an agreement with Arcapita to acquire 100% of Roxar, the Stavanger based technology solutions provider for the oil and gas industry. The price represents an enterprise value of NOK 2.2bn. The two companies have a strategic fit, and...
BALTIC - BaltCap attracts Catella Private Equity to finance expansion for Intrac
Intrac, a supplier of tracked and wheeled machines for forestry, material handling and earthmoving in the Baltic States, has attracted Catella Private Equity as an investor to fund further expansion. Catella Private Equity will become a shareholder through...
FRANCE - Nexway receives EUR 5m from CM-CIC, Turenne and XAnge
Electronic software distributor Nexway has raised EUR 5m in a second round of financing arranged by Chausson Finance.
UK - HgCapital sells IRIS and CSG in £500m deal
HgCapital has sold IRIS Software, a provider of software to accountacy practices, and Computer Software Group (CSG), a provider of software to legal practices, to Hellman & Friedman for £500m. Hellman & Friedman plans to merge the two entities. HgCapital...
BALTIC - BaltCap exits ZetCOM
BaltCap has sold its minority position in ZetCOM to Latvijas Mobilias Telefons Ltd. BaltCap invested in ZetCOM in 2005 to be part of the heavily growing telecom market in the region.
FRANCE - CAPE makes 3x from sale of Béryl to Vivarte
The sale by Crédit Agricole Private Equity of shoe distributor Béryl to Charterhouse-backed Vivarte has been approved by market authorities.
SWEDEN - Provider Venture Partners divests Drutt to Ericsson for a 5x return
Provider Venture Partners has sold their stake of Drutt, a software company, to Ericsson. The value of the deal is not disclosed but it is valued to be around SEK 350-400m, with Provider Venture Partners securing a 5x money multiple. Drutt Corporation...
IRELAND - Adaptive Mobile raises $14m
Doughty Hanson has led a $14m financing round in Dublin-based Adaptive Mobile. Kuwaiti investor Noor Financial Investment Company also participated in the funding round, as did existing investor Inter Capital.
ROMANIA - Kandia exits Kandia Excelent
Following a dual-track process, Kandia NV, the private equity investment holding company managed by Meinl Bank AG, has sold its 93.32% stake in listed Romanian confectionery company Kandia-Excelent to Cadbury Schweppes. The financial investor opted for...
FRANCE - Truffle Venture makes two good exits
Truffle venture has sold its entire stake in IT maintenance business Isis MPP to Eurilogic and has divested about a quarter of its shares in marketing agency Netbooster.
FRANCE - Bryan, Garnier & Co appoints director of structured products
Independent investement bank Bryan, Garnier & Co has appointed Henri-Pierre Jeancard as a director in charge of structured products origination, in the Paris office.
SPAIN - Clave Mayor and Möbius invest in Vivotecnia
Clave Mayor and Möbius Corporate Venture Capital have acquired 100% of Vivotecnia Research alongside the management and private investors. Additionally, a capital increase has been made to allow the purchase of new installations.
UK - Compass Partners sells Eco to Luvata
London-based private equity firm Compass Partners has sold heat-transfer coils and coolers manufacturer Eco to Luvata, a supplier of fabricated metal solutions owned by Nordic Capital.