News
UK - BVCA chairman calls for pensions to look to private equity
In an interview in today's Financial Times, Rod Selkirk, the chairman of the British Venture Capital Association states: 'It is mind-boggling to me to think of a pension fund not having an allocation to private equity.'
UK - Astex appoints new CEO
The Financial Times reports today that Astex has recruited Leon Bushara, a senior executive at Europe's largest biotechnology group Serono, as its chief executive. Astex is a biotechnology group based in Cambridge that has received significant contributions...
GERMANY - Coca-Cola acquires Blackstone-backed Apollonaris
It was announced last week that Coca-Cola had bought Apollonaris, a German mineral water bottler, from its private equity backers. The Blackstone Group and Lion Capital bought Apollinaris earlier this year as part of the EUR 1.85bn deal for Cadbury Schweppes’...
UK - ISIS back MBO of the Panacea Group
ISIS Equity Partners, in partnership with the Panacea management team, has successfully completed a management buyout of the Panacea Group. ISIS invested ТЃ6.187m as part of the transaction alongside senior debt and working capital facilities from Lloyds...
UK - AnaCap Financial Partners establishes strategic advisory board
AnaCap Financial Partners has appointed three members to its strategic advisory board: Andrew Jackson, founder of Intermediate Capital Group; Michael Callen, former head of Citicorp Worldwide Corporate Division; and Rudi Doerr, former group vice president...
UK - Matrix backs MBO of Blaze Neon Ltd
Matrix Private Equity Partners has financed a ТЃ5m secondary management buyout of Blaze Neon Limited (Blaze) alongside management and senior debt from Lloyds TSB. Blaze is a leading player in the design, manufacture and installation of shop front and...
AUSTRIA - Zumtobel lists 95% of stock on Wiener Boerse
Vorarlberg-based lighting producer Zumtobel has listed on the Viennese Stock Exchange at a price of EUR 20.49 per share.
NL /UK- Reed Elsevier to retain Business Publishing Unit
Reed Elsevier, the publisher jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV, has reportedly rejected an informal bid by a consortium of private equity investors regarding the sale of its Business Publishing unit.
UK - Enterprise Ventures backs MBO of Acorn Foundation Engineering Ltd
Enterprise Ventures, the North-West based venture capital company, has completed an investment in the management buyout of Acorn Foundation Engineering Ltd (AFE). Andrew Hall, the current managing director of the company received backing from Enterprise...
NETHERLANDS - Stork to sell its WorkSphere Unit
Dutch industrial conglomerate Stork has reached an agreement to sell its WorkSphere unit to Strukton, a Netherlands-headquartered railway construction and maintenance group.
UK - BVCA reports show rise in UK private equity investment
The BVCA's performance measurement and the report on investment activity shows that worldwide investment by UK private equity firms has increased by 21% in 2005 to ТЃ11.7bn. 58% of this total was invested in the UK, a 3% rise on the 2004 figure. The survey...
UK - Lasitha Perera joins Glitnir Bank's European leveraged finance team
Lasitha Perera is joining Glitnir Bank's European leveraged finance team where he will report to Erlendur Magnusson, head of leveraged finance.
Mid-market private equity investors brimming with confidence
Market confidence levels among mid-market private equity investors are riding high, according to a survey carried out by Grant Thornton Corporate Finance. During the first quarter of the year, 92% of mid-market VCs predicted that the volume of transactions...
UK - Bank of Scotland Corporate backs MBO of T.M.Lewin
T.M.Lewin & Sons Ltd, the leading retailer of formal shirts has been acquired by its management team from a group of private vendors. With a deal size of ТЃ50m, Bank of Scotland Corporate provided an integrated finance funding package and will invest...
EUROPE - Apax Partners publishes report on the future of private equity
Apax Partners, together with the Economist Intelligence Unit, has produced a report on the future of private equity. This follows a 2002 report in which it accurately predicted deal sizes increasing significantly and liquidity improving.
UK - Matrix midlands motoring challenge
Yesterday Matrix Private Equity entertained a group of Midlands corporate financiers (and Kimberly Romaine of Incisive Media, publishers of unquoteт and Private Equity Europe) at Prestwold Hall in Loughborough, where guests were treated to a day of driving...
FINLAND - 3i sells majority of Suomen Terveystalo shares
3i has sold the majority of its shares in Suomen Terveystalo to Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company and Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company.
UK - Deloitte hires two operational diligence experts
Matt Penny and Duncan Robertson have joined the operations due diligence team at Deloitte from Ernst & Young. Both have expertise in the retail and technology manufacturing sectors.
ITALY - Successul listing for Wellington portfolio company NoemaLife SpA
On its first day of trading on the Milan Stock Exchange, NoemaLife's share price grew by 37% from the original issue price of EUR 9 per share to reach EUR 12.30 per share, representing a market capitalization of EUR 52m.
FRANCE - Possible buyout will not be discussed at Thomson's general assembly today
Thomson SA has made it clear that the potential de-listing of the company would not be discussed at today's annual general assembly of shareholders.
ROMANIA - AIG Capital Partners funds security provider
According to reports, AIG Capital Partners, the emerging markets private equity division of American International Group, has acquired a 30% stake in UTI Group. The company is a provider of security systems and services with headquarters in Romania. The...
NORWAY - Thomas Falck of FSV is appointed chairman of NVCA
Thomas Falck, partner at Four Seasons Venture (FSV), was appointed chairman of the Norwegian Venture Capital Association at the organisation's annual meeting yesterday. He will replace managing director of Teknoinvest, Bjørn Bjorå, who will continue as...
GERMANY - CBCM boosts corporate finance team
Commerzbank Corporates and Markets has appointed Rolf Betz as co-head of ECM and M&A. Betz joins Commerzbank following three years with DVB Bank AG, where he was a member of the board of managing directors, with responsibility for the bank's corporate...
GERMANY - Nordsee sees return of private equity cash
Jersey-based ACP Capital has acquired an approximate 12% stake in Kamps Food Retail Investments, a holding company owned by German food and drink entrepreneur Heiner Kamps. The investment will assist Kamps in raising his majority stake in fish restaurant...