News
ITALY - MCC Sofipa acquires majority stake in Cobra
MCC Sofipa SGR SPA, the private equity arm of Gruppo Capitalia, has acquired a majority stake in Cobra Spa via the funds Sofipa Equity Fund and Sofipa Equity Fund II. The funds have together invested approximately EUR 17.5m for a 70% shareholding, while...
GERMANY - BMG auction to attract private equity
Bertelsmann has announced that it will put its BMG Music Publishing unit up for auction and hopes to receive upwards of EUR 1.5bn.
UK - Nigel Beer takes minority stake in Hotbed
Nigel Beer, former head of KPMG's corporate finance division in London, has taken a minority stake in Hotbed. He will take on the role of non-executive director of the private investor network, but remains active as a consultant for KPMG.
UK - Shaun Beaney joins BDO as deal origination manager
Shaun Beaney has joined the corporate finance department at BDO Stoy Hayward as deal origination manager. Beaney arrives at BDO from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) Corporate Finance Faculty, where he was business development...
UK - Telent to be taken private by Fortress Investment
Telent has been offered 529.5p per share by the US private equity firm Fortress Investment according to a report in today's Times. The deal will value Telent, the only part of former industrial giant Marconi that remains independent, at ТЃ346m. Ericsson...
NETHERLANDS - Valcon to buy back VNU debt
Private equity consortium Valcon, which recently declared its EUR 29.50 per share bid for VNU to be unconditional, has now also made an offer for most of VNU's outstanding bonds and notes, worth around EUR 1bn euros.
DENMARK - Polaris sells Dansk Droge to Orkla
Polaris Private Equity has entered into an agreement to sell its shares in Dansk Droge to Orkla. The Sports Nutrition companies SPP in Sweden and Finland are not included in this transaction.
UK - Barclays Ventures exits Canada Square Health and Fitness Ltd
Barclays Ventures has completed the sale of Canada Square Health and Fitness Ltd, the operator of the prestigious 'Reebok Sports Club London' in Canary Wharf, to an overseas private investment group for an undisclosed amount.
FINLAND - 3i and Nordic Venture Partners invest EUR 4m in Meridea
Meridea has received around EUR 4m in growth capital from existing investors 3i and Nordic Venture Partners.
FRANCE - French government will double contribution into Oséo by 2007
Groupe Oséo has announced that state contributions will increase from EUR 200m in 2005 to EUR 400m in 2007.
UK - FT analyses PIK financing trend following refinancing of New Look
Following a further round of financing of New Look yesterday, which included approximately ТЃ350m worth of PIK notes, the Financial Times has today published an article analysing the increasing use of payment-in-kind loans. These are increasingly used...
UK - Caledonia backs management buyout of Celerant Consulting
The management of Celerant Consulting, the global operations management consultancy based in Richmond, UK announced that they have agreed with Novell Inc, to acquire Novellтs majority shareholding for a total of approximately $77m. As a result of the...
UK - Wragge & Co appoints fifth partner
Wragge & Co LLP has boosted its private equity practice with the appointment of Ian Piggin as its fifth partner.
NORWAY - Argentum delivers record profits
Norwegian Argentum has announced record results. The state-owned fund-of-funds generated EBIT of NOK 472m and net profits of NOK 452m in 2005. In Q1 2006, it recorded net profits of NOK 175m.
UK - 3i set to re-enter baby product market with offer for Mayborn
3i has announced that it has made a recommended offer to Mayborn Group Plc, the manufacturer and distributor of Tommee Tippee baby and Dylon fabric dye brands. The offer values the business, which has a turnover of over ТЃ80m and is currently listed on...
NORWAY - VC-backed Trolltech applies for listing
Trolltech has filed an application for listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Index Ventures owns 22.3% of the company, Teknoinvest 11.1% and Northzone Ventures 4.8%.
FRANCE - Dii opens its capital to BNP Paribas Développement
BNP Paribas has bought a 25% share of Development Institute International (Dii) for an undisclosed sum, diluting management’s total hold of the company’s capital.
NETHERLANDS - VNU receives more than 80% of support for IPO
Industry sources suggest that more than 80% of VNU's share capital has been tendered, following Valcon's announcement that it declared its offer unconditional at 78.80%.
FRANCE - 21 Centrale Partners buys industrial lighting specialist
French financial investor 21 Centrale Partners has backed the leveraged buyout of Auteroche-ABL, for an undisclosed amount.
FRANCE - Bruno Ziegler acquires FMA with two French GP's back-up
Swiss businessman Bruno Ziegler has backed the MBI of IT maintenance company FMA, alongside regional private equity houses Centre Capital Developpement (CCD) and Euro Capital.
FRANCE - French pharmaceutical company raises fourth round of financing
Limonest-based OPi has raised EUR 4.5m from its fourth round of financing. The syndicate of investors includes Innoveris (15%), Spef Ventures (14%), FCJE (13%), Sofimac (11%), Siparex (7%), BioMérieux (4%), Sud Partners (5%), Rhone-Alpes Création (2%)...
FRANCE - Prado Finance makes two acquisitions in aeronautics
Belgian private equity house Prado Finance has acquired medium-range airline Axis Airways and private jet maintenance company Uni Air Entreprise.
FRANCE - Galileo Partners injects EUR 2m in Talend
According to press sources, French privatre equity house Galileo Partners has invested EUR 2m in software developer Talend.
SWEDEN - Palamon Capital Partners acquires Espresso House and Coffe Cup
Palamon Capital Partners has acquired a 94% stake in Espresso House Sweden AB and 100% of the shares in Coffee Cup AB for a total of SEK 103m.