News
GERMANY – ProSiebenSat1 bidders down to three
Reports suggest that only three bidders remain in the race to acquire Germany’s largest commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat1 after CVC is said to have dropped out. Remaining known bidders are the two consortiums comprising financial investors Permira...
SPAIN - Henderson Global Investors opens Madrid office
Asset management firm Henderson Global Investors continues its expansion in Europe with the opening of a new office in Madrid. George Giovannini will be the country manager of the new office. Giovannini, who has been with Henderson Global Investors since...
FRANCE - Doughty Hanson acquires French concrete specialist
In its second deal in France, Doughty Hanson has backed the secondary buyout of KP1, an Avignon-based manufacturer of concrete products for the construction industry.
UK - Endless hires Indra Valeinis as investment executive
Endless LLP has recruited Indra Valeinis as investment executive. Valeinis is the tenth hire to the transaction team at Endless LLP since its inception in December 2005. She began her career in 2000 with Arthur Andersen and has also worked at Deloitte....
GERMANY – BC Partners bids for Techem
BC Partners has made an offer of EUR 52 per share for the German utility billing specialist Techem AG. The financial investor offers EUR 8 more per share than Macquarie Bank that had announced its bid of EUR 44 per share on 23 October. BC Partners’...
UK - Vision Capital proposes to acquire four businesses from Northern Foods
Vision Capital has exchanged contracts for the proposed acquisition of four businesses from Northern Foods plc for a total consideration of £160m. Completion of the transaction is subject to the approval of Northern Foods' shareholders.
GERMANY – AXA Private Equity buys CABB
AXA Private Equity has acquired more than 70% of shares in German specialty chemicals company CABB GmbH. As a result previous financial investor Gilde has fully exited its investment. CABB, formerly part of the Hoechst group, had been a subsidiary of...
UK - Bridges Community Ventures invests in Whelan Refining Ltd
Bridges Community Ventures has invested £450,000 as part of a total finance package of £1.5m with Catapult Venture Managers and HSBC in Whelan Refining Ltd, a re-refiner of waste oil based in Stoke-on-Trent. The company has also received financial backing...
FINLAND - CapMan appoints new advisers
CapMan has announced that Erik Prydz Mathisen, Terje Thon, Barbara Thoralfsen and Rune Thoralfsen from Norway and Jari Pasanen from Finland have been invited to join CapMan as industrial advisers as of November 2006. The new industrial advisers will complement...
AUSTRIA – Bidders for BAWAG drop to four
The number of bidders for Austria’s fourth largest bank in terms of volume of assets has dropped to four after the latest round in the auction process, according to press reports. It is understood that the remaining parties include German bank BayernLB...
FRANCE - EdRIP appoints life science partner and recruits three staff
Paris-based Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP) has recruited three additional staff and secured a new venture partnership. Olivier Litzka has been appointed as co-director of the life science team, while Laurent Toutois and Sophie Nordmann...
UK - Weil Gotshal & Manges to realign London private equity practice
Weil Gotshal & Manges is reportedly realigning its London private equity practice around a core group of premium clients in order to bolster its profitability and avoid 'diluting' its service. The refocusing is understood to be driven in part by the London...
BELGIUM - Gilde acquires Belgium Johma and Hamal salad business
Gilde has backed the management buyout of Uniq Belgium, a producer and marketer of private label and branded spreadable salads, from UK-based Uniq PLC. The transaction signifies the first investment from the recently raised Gilde Equity Management Benelux...
UK - Close Growth Capital appoints Justin Slabbert as associate
Close Growth Capital (CGC) has appointed Justin Slabbert as an associate. Slabbert joins CGC from Bearing Power, a multi-national industrial distribution company where he was director for business development. He previously worked in the private equity...
NORWAY - Norvestor buys 70% of BecoTek
Norvestor IV LP has agreed to acquire a 70% interest in BecoTek. BecoTek is an integrated manufacturer and supplier of brass cages to the ball and roller bearing industry worldwide. Headquartered in Åmot, the company recorded a turnover of NOK 194m in...
FRANCE - Eurazeo interest boosts Eutelsat share price
Satellite communications business Eutelsat's share price is soaring following an admission by the company's CEO that he had been approached by potential investors. Independently, Eurazeo issued a press release in which the buyout house expressed its interest...
SWEDEN - 3i and SEB Företagsinvest sell vaccine distributor
3i, SEB Företagsinvest and other shareholders are divesting their stakes in vaccine distributor SBL Vaccines in a sale to NASDAQ-listed Dutch biotechnology company Crucell for EUR 39.4m, excluding deferred payments and future royalties. The transaction...
SWEDEN - Argan Capital buys service provider unit from Manpower
Argan Capital has signed an agreement for the acquisition of the facility management and contact centre businesses within Manpower Business Solutions from Manpower. The companies employ approximately 1,800 staff and generate revenues of around EUR 170m....
UK - ISIS joins Crew Clothing Co.
ISIS Equity Partners has acquired a 25% stake in Crew Clothing Co., the English brand for customers who enjoy an active and outdoor lifestyle, in a £7.75m fundraising. Crew was founded as a single retail site in Salcombe in 1993. The brand has since...
SPAIN - Catalana d'Iniciatives has a new Madrid director
Private equity firm Catalana d'Iniciatives has promoted Nicholas Ruiz to director of its Madrid office. Previously an investment director, Ruiz has worked in a number of operations at the firm's offices in Madrid and Barcelona.
UK - Dubai International Capital interested in Liverpool FC
The board of Liverpool Football Club will meet this week to discuss the investment proposals of American billionaire George Gillett, who owns the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club.
GERMANY – nugg.ad receives growth capital
Bmp AG and IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH have invested in Berlin-based media company nugg.ad. The financial investors each take a 17.5% stake, with nugg.ad founders holding the balance.
GERMANY – Waterland acquires second gaming arcade operator within a month
Waterland Private Equity has acquired Highway Automaten GmbH through its third fund Waterland Private Equity Fund III BV that closed on EUR 400m in April this year. The financial investor had previously acquired Löwen Play, the second largest amusement...
FRANCE - Royal Dutch Shell considers French disposals
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell is said to be considering selling its French refineries.