News
NL- Petroplus to consider listing
Carlyle-owned Petroplus is reportedly considering a flotation that could see the oil company valued at around £500m.
UK - Challenge Fund invests in cancer research
Sentinel Oncology has received a financial boost from the Challenge Fund Trading Company, part of Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds (CESF).
SWITZERLAND - GLSV enlarges investment team
Global Life Science Ventures has announced the further strengthening of its investment team. Dr Stephen McCormack has joined the company as principal, with Dr Kuno Jung as investment manager.
NETHERLANDS - Valcon raises bid for VNU
Valcon Acquisition BV, has raised its bid for Dutch media giant VNU NV to EUR 29.50 per share in an effort to overcome shareholder resistance to the deal.
SWEDEN - Industri Kapital reduces shareholding in Oriflame Cosmetics
Industri Kapital has sold 4.3 million Swedish Depositary Reciepts (SDRs) in Oriflame Cosmetics SA at an approximate price of SEK 280 per SDR. The shares, which represented 7.2% of the company, were sold primarily to Swedish and international institutional...
FINLAND - CapMan records rise in profits
CapMan Plc reports a significant EUR 3.7m increase in operating profits for Q1 2006. In the comparative period of 2005, CapMan Plc obtained an operating profit of EUR 1.5m now rising to EUR 5.2m.
FRANCE - Jean-David Doly promoted at H. et Associés
Jean-David Doly, 32, has become manager of corporate finance at H. et Associés
NETHERLANDS - PPM Oost invests in Trade Unlimited
Participatiemaatschappij Oost Nederland (PPM Oost) has provided expansion finance to Trade Unlimited.
GERMANY - Equita makes it three in a week
Equita Management GmbH has made its third investment in a week with the acquisition of Z&J Technologies. The vendor, Hochtemparatur Engineering GmbH (HTE) is a portfolio company of Deutsche Beteiligungs AG. This is the third investment to be made by Equita...
UK - Octopus appoints new director
Octopus Asset Management has announced that Julian Carr has joined the firm's investment team as a director.
SPAIN - Émfasis expands operations with purchase of Securpost
Émfasis, a portfolio company of Nmás1 Private Equity, operating in the mailing and billing sector, has acquired 100% of Securpost from Tutor SA, a subsidiary of Grupo PDM. Securpost specialises in the outsourcing of printing and mailing services and last...
FRANCE - Jean Plamondon joins AGF Private Equity as investment director
Jean Plamondon will lead AGF Private Equity's funds of funds team.
FRANCE - One Equity Partners and Carlson Companies buy 50% of Carlson Wagonlit Travel
In a deal worth $465m, Carlson Companies and One Equity Partners have bought a 50% stake in Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) from Accor.
UK - CellCentric receives £1.15m DTI award
CellCentric, a venture-backed epigenetics company, has been awarded ТЃ1.15m from the Department of Trade and Industryтs (DTI) technology programme, as part of a ТЃ2.3m collaborative programme with three leading research institutions.
UK - Synesis Life receives backing from Warburg Pincus, JP Morgan and RBS
Synesis Life Ltd, a provider of bespoke solutions to the pension and annuity liabilities marketplace, has secured financial backing from JPMorgan, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Warburg Pincus.
DENMARK - Montagu buys LOGSTOR from Axcel, Polaris and FIH
Montagu Private Equity has agreed to acquire LOGSTOR for an undisclosed sum from Axcel, Polaris and FIH. The acquisition has been made in partnership with the company’s incumbent management team.
FINLAND - CapMan buys Helsinki property from Sitra
CapMan’s private equity real estate fund, CapMan Real Estate I, has bought Kiinteistöosakeyhtiö Erottajankatu 15–17 from Sitra for an undisclosed sum.
UK - £1.4m investment for Tanfield Food Company
The creators of the Phileas Fogg brand have received ТЃ1.4m of growth capital from Hotbed, the private investor network, and The North East Co-Investment Fund for their latest venture, the Tanfield Food Company.
UK - MFI a private equity target?
The Daily Mail has reported City rumours that MFI could be approached by a private equity consortium regarding a possible bif for MFI Furniture, the UK kitchen specialist.
FRANCE - Activa Capital backs MBO of BFI Optilas
Activa Capital Fund FCPR has taken a majority stake in BFI Optilas, a Nasdaq-listed distributor of electronic and photonic products.
UK - Grant Thornton expects M&A to increase
Despite a drop of 42% in the number of foreign companies buying UK businesses in the first three months of 2006, the amount of money being invested on UK acquisitions reached its highest ever level, according to the latest statistics published by the...
SWEDEN - Nordea to open private equity markets for personal customers
Nordea has started to offer its personal customers the opportunity to enter private equity markets via a new kind of bond. Traditionally, private equity funds have mainly been available to institutional investors and Nordea is the first Nordic bank to...
SWEDEN - Johan Bennarsten is appointed deputy head of CapMan Life Science
Johan Bennarsten has been appointed deputy head of CapMan Life Science as of 2 May 2006. Joining CapMan’s Life Science team as investment analyst in early 2001, he was promoted to investment manager in 2003 and investment director in 2005.
UK - Electra buys Travelsphere Group from Hg for £144m
Electra Partners Europe has backed the management buyout of the Travelsphere Group in a transaction valued at ТЃ144m.