News
UK - LDC appoints Paul Johnson as head of larger mid-market team
LDC has appointed Paul Johnson to head a newly-created team which will focus on originating larger mid-market transactions. The team will target deals requiring an equity investment between £25m and £100m, the newly-instated upper reach of LDC’s underwriting...
UK - YFM provides sign manufacturer with £250,000
YFM Group has invested £250,000 in sign manufacturer D&H Sign Manufacturing Ltd through its Yorkshire and Humber Equity Fund.
UK - Enterprise Ventures invests in Chromatide Ltd
Enterprise Ventures has invested in chemical services company Chromatide Ltd through its RisingStars Growth Fund II.
FRANCE - European Capital invests EUR 55m in Go Voyages
European Capital has invested EUR 55m in senior and junior mezzanine bonds and preferred and common equity in travel agent Go Voyages. The company was the subject of a buyout supported by Financière Agache Private Equity earlier this year.
UK - European Capital acquires Hillarys Blinds for EUR 337m
European Capital has announced the EUR 337m secondary buyout of Hillarys Blinds, a provider of made-to-measure blinds, from Change Capital Partners. The firm provided equity, loan notes, mezzanine debt and senior term loans, to complete the one stop...
SPAIN/UK - Palamon adds Morgan Stanley banker to its Spanish team
Pan-European private equity firm Palamon Capital Partners has hired former Morgan Stanley executive director Jaime Enrique Hugas to strenghten its activities in Spain.
FINLAND - CapMan strengthens its Real Estate team
Jorma Lehtonen has been appointed as CapMan Real Estate’s fund director and will be responsible for the investment activities of private equity real estate funds. In addition he will act as deputy to Markku Hietala, managing director of Realprojekti...
SWITZERLAND - Adveq establishes US presence
The Swiss fund-of-funds manager Adveq has announced it is to open an office in New York. A number of the firm's investment team will transfer from the Zurich office to New York, where they will be joined by two new members, Lee Gardella and Steven Yang....
UK - Apax and Permira will recap New Look if sale doesn't go through
The sale of Apax and Permira-portfolio company New Look is still on track, according to reports. Merrill Lynch is running an auction to facilitate the disposal with TPG and Warburg Pincus bidding together against BC Partners. A price tag of approximately...
UK - Mangrove Capital leads $8m series-B funding for Seatwave
Mangrove Capital Partners has led an $8m series-B funding round for Seatwave, a fan-to-fan ticket exchange. Mangrove joins existing investor Atlas Venture which provided $3m of series-A funding for the company in May 2006.
UK - Aberdeen invests £1.4m in Cyclotech
Aberdeen Asset Managers Growth Capital has provided oil and gas services company Cyclotech with £1.4m of equity funding. The new capital will be used for product development, additional management appointments and new offices in Singapore and Houston.
UK - Graphite Capital backs MBO of Dominion Technology Gases
Graphite Capital has backed the management buyout of Aberdeen-based Dominion Technology Gases from its founder. Dominion is a supplier of specialist gases used for diving, welding and testing by offshore oil and gas customers. Royal Bank of Scotland provided...
CEE - Warburg Pincus in $100m financing round for IMB
Warburg Pincus has participated in a $100m equity financing round for IMB Group Public Ltd, the Ukraine's leading consumer lender. Warburg Pincus contributed $43.8m, with the balance of the investment committed by existing investors Horizon Capital, East...
NL - Lion Capital acquires HEMA
Lion Capital has acquired Dutch retailer HEMA from Maxeda. The deal is subject to regulatory approval, expected before the end of July 2007.
UK - Shackleton in further deal with 3i
Three months after it acquired four investments from 3i, Shackleton Ventures has purchased a further portfolio of nine companies from 3i. Shackleton is a specialist secondaries venture capital firm with the ability to draw on investment of up to £20m.
UK - RBS to sell Southern Water for £4bn
Royal Bank of Scotland is to sell Southern Water for £4bn. RBS has appointed Deutsche Bank to run a process to facilitate the sale of the water company which supplies homes in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire.
UK - Kreos appoints Luca Colciago as partner
Kreos Capital, the provider of debt financing for venture deals, has appointed Luca Colciago as partner. Colciago has focused specifically on venture debt for the past seven years. He joins Kreos from Noble Fund Managers, an alternative assets manager...
FRANCE - Avenir Tourisme invests in 5-a-side football
Urban Football, a company running 5-a-side football centres has received EUR 1m in equity and convertible bonds from Avenir Tourisme, its managers and other existing stakeholders.
FINLAND - CapMan acquires land in Vantaa
CapMan RE II has acquired land located in the Kivistö area of Vantaa, Finland. Under the existing plans, the land and surrounding properties will be zoned as a commercial services district.
NORWAY - NVCA reports strong growth in Norway
The Norwegian Venture Capital Association has released its annual statistics on the Norwegian market for 2006. In 2006, there were 15 new funds established with NOK 11.4bn of new capital raised. The association also reported a 75% increase in the amount...
UK - Terra Firma exits Thresher and pension assets of Thorn TV rental business
Terra Firma has sold the 2000-strong off-licence chain Thresher to a team of investors led by Edmund Truell. The deal includes the sale of another of Terra Firma's assets from its first fund, the pension assets of Thorn, the television rental company....
GERMANY - Henderson sells Homann to IFR Capital
Henderson Private Equity has exited food manufacturer Homann through a sale to AIM-listed investment company IFR Capital. IFR has acquired 100% of the share capital of Homann, continuing its strategy of consolidation in the European retail food sector....
NL - Lehman considers fund-of-funds IPO
Lehman Brother Private Equity has announced it is considering a Euronext Amsterdam listing for a fund-of-funds. Should the launch go ahead, Lehman will invest a substantial portion of its own funds in the vehicle, commit all capital raised through the...
ITALY - Alto Partners exit fashion business Gruppo Arcte
Fund Alto Capital II - managed by private equity firm Alto Partners - has announced the sale of its 90% stake in Gruppo Arcte to the Mariella Burani Group. The buyer is one of the largest Italian luxury groups, with a market capitalisation on the Italian...