News
UK - B.P. Marsh in further backing of Hyperion
BP Marsh & Partners has announced that it has participated in a £5.5m rights issue of portfolio company Hyperion Insurance Gruop. B.P. Marsh exercised its right to participate in the issuance at a cost of just over £1.5m, retaining a 27.89% stake....
UK - M&C Saatchi enters private equity arena
UK advertising agency M&C Saatchi is launching a new division to work with private equity firms to assess brands and spot potential deals. The new division, Accelerator, will be headed by the agency's UK chief executive, Tim Duffy. Duffy said: "Private...
UK - Advent grows ICT investment team
Advent Venture Partners has announced the appointment of Paul Fisher to the ICT investment team. Fisher gained experience of early-stage transactions at First Capita, where he was Associate Director. Prior to joining First Capital, Fisher worked in...
BULGARIA - Arco acquires CableTEL for €41m
Arco Capital Corporation (ACC) has announced the €41m acquisition of CableTEL, a Bulgaria-based telecommunications company which also has operations in Macedonia. ACC is a holding company that engages in lending and acquisition activities primarily...
UK - Ladbrokes CEO quashes bid talk
The chief executive of British betting and gaming company Ladbrokes has claimed that rumours of an imminent bid for the firm are well wide of the mark. In an interesting turn of phrase, Chris Burn said the speculation was 'absolute rhubarb.' Shares...
EUROPE - Bear Stearns joins iPEIT club
The Initiative for Private Equity Investment Trusts ( iPEIT ) now names Bear Stearns Private Equity Limited as one of its members, bringing the total number of PEITs under the umbrella organisation to 11. Bear Stearns is a listed fund of funds that...
FRANCE - MBO Partenaires sells Gamfi to Leica Geosystems
MBO Partenaires has realised its interests in construction lasers manufacturer Gamfi, sold to a subsidiary of Stockholm-listed Hexagon.
GERMANY - Carlyle acquires real estate portfolio from Concordia
The Carlyle Group has acquired a portfolio of 19 properties from insurance group Concordia. The portfolio consists of assets distributed throughout Germany, with a total area of approximately 42,400 m2 which can be rented.
UK - Baird invests £13m in recruitment company Aston Carter
Baird Capital Partners Europe has invested £13m for a majority stake in Aston Carter, a UK recruitment consultancy specialising in the placement of IT professionals into the financial services sector in the UK and internationally.
UK - Cognis Capital backs BIMBO of waste services company
Cognis Capital Partners has backed the BIMBO of waste serivces company Sancerre. The deal has enabled Sancerre to purchase the high temperature incinerator and waste-to-energy plats in Fawley, Hampshire from Veolia ES (UK) Ltd. The company expects to...
UK - 3i sells stake in Corpro to SCF Partners
3i has sold its 49.5% stake in oilfield services company Corpro to SCF Partners. The exit generated an IRR of 22% for 3i, which backed the £2m management buyout of the company in 1998. Since the deal, Corpro has expanded internationally and now operates...
EUROPE - WINNERS ANNOUNCED for unquote” Central & Eastern European Awards
Unquote” is delighted to announce the winners of the first ever awards for Central & Eastern European Private Equity, held last night at One Whitehall Place, London. The inaugural event, held in association with EBRD and sponsored by Clifford Chance,...
FRANCE - PAI wins exclusivity for 50.01% of Kaufman et Broad
PAI partners has been granted a period of exclusivity for the acquisition of a controlling stake in Euronext-listed house builder Kaufman et Broad.
CEE - AIG invests in SC Digital Cable Systems SA
AIG Capital Partners has invested EUR 45m in Romanian firm SC Digital Cable (DCS) Systems, a provider of video re-transmission services. The commitment will be funded by AIG New Europe II, a EUR 523m fund dedicated to investments in Central and Eastern...
SWITZERLAND - BVgroup acquires Lonstroff Holding AG
BVgroup has backed a management buyout of Lonstroff Holding AG from 3i. The transaction value has not been disclosed, but BVgroup will take an 80% stake in the company with management holding the balance.
UK - Aberdeen exits coach manufacturer Plaxton reaping 2.6x return
Aberdeen Asset Managers Private Equity has realised a 2.6x return on its exit from coach manufacturing portfolio company Plaxton. The business has been acquired by Alexander Dennis Ltd for an undisclosed sum.
UK - Octopus backs Promotion Space with expansion funding
Octopus Private Equity has provided marketing services business Promotion Space with expansion finance. Octopus was introduced to the deal by Ford Campbell, a Manchester and Leeds-based corporate finance firm. The value of the funding was not disclosed,...
SPAIN - Dinamia makes profit of EUR 18.2m from Capital Safety exit
Dinamia Capital Privado has sold the 8.16% stake it had in Capital Safety Group to Candover for around EUR 21m, realising a profit of approximately EUR 18.2m for investors.
UK - Scottish Equity Partners strengthens team
Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) has made new two appointments to its expanding investment team. The two new hires are Sriram Srinivasan and Mark Gracey both of whom will be based in SEP’s London office. The duo, who are from India and Australia respectively,...
UK - JPMorgan launches Private Equity Fund Services in UK and appoints Huw Jones
JPMorgan has launched JPMorgan Private Equity Fund Services business in the UK to expand the business throughout Europe and the Middle East. The service offers fund administration and portfolio administration to European and Middle Eastern private equity...
ITALY - Permira buys stake in Valentino for EUR 783m
Permira has acquired a 29.6% stake in fashion house Valentino for EUR 782.6m.
SWEDEN - EQT sells 10% of Nederman to Investment AB Latour
EQT has signed an agreement to sell 10% of the shares of Nederman to Investment AB Latour, which represents 1 171 535 of the shares. The price is set to SEK 87 per share, which is the same price that Nederman will start to trade on Stockholm Stock Exchange...
FRANCE - Acto makes 50% IRR and 4x its money on Odalys sale
Acto (formerly known as Finama Private Equity) has sold its stake in tourism residences business Odalys.
UK - Charterhouse acquires TSL from Exponent
Charterhouse Capital Partners has acquired educational publisher TSL Education from Exponent Private Equity for an undisclosed sum.