News
NETHERLANDS - Rabo Participaties to acquire Luzac College
USG People NV, a provider of employment services in Europe, has announced that it expects to sell Luzac Holding NV, a parent company of among others Luzac College and InterCollege, to Rabo Participaties and management.
NETHERLANDS - 3i to exit Refresco
A consortium led by FL Group hf. has signed an agreement to acquire Refresco Holding B.V. (Refresco), the Dutch private label soft drink manufacturer from the investment fund 3i Plc for a total consideration (enterprise value) of EUR 461m.
NORDICS - Doughty Hanson makes Nordic appointment
Doughty Hanson has appointed Jan Amethier as senior principal to focus on the Nordic region, starting in July 2006.
UK - LMS to spin off venture division
London Merchant Securities (LMS), the property group, is set to become a real estate investment trust (Reit) once it has spun-off its venture capital arm as a new Aim-listed company called Leo Capital.
UK - Tom Wrenn joins ECI Partners
ECI Partners has announced the appointment of Tom Wrenn as investment executive.
GERMANY - Skadden, Arps names new partner
International law firm Skadden, Arps has named Dr Lutz Zimmer as partner at its Munich practice. Zimmer joined Skadden as counsel in 2004 and has extensive experience in the fields of private equity and venture capital.
FRANCE - Colony and Butler buy Paris St Germain from Canal+
Colony Capital and Butler Capital Partners (BCP) have purchased the football club Paris St Germain (PSG) from Canal+ for EUR 41m. Colony has invested via Colyzeo, which formed in partnership with cornerstone investor Eurazeo. The private equity houses...
UK- Veronis Suhler Stevenson acquires Granada Learning
Veronis Suhler Stevenson has acquired UK-based educational publishing business Granada Learning from ITV.
NETHERLANDS - ABN AMRO Capital leads biotech deal
ABN AMRO Capital has led a EUR 13m second round of funding in PanGenetics, alongside existing investors Index Ventures and Crédit Agricole Private Equity (CAPE).
GERMANY - Olbort to leave 3i
Following more than seven years on 3i's Mittelstand finance team, Martin Olbort has opted to leave the company. Olbort will become managing partner of Weilbacher Olbort Paletten, looking after business, finance and strategy.
UK - Ingenious Ventures exits Lionhead Studios
Ingenious Ventures, the private equity arm of Ingenious Media, has realised its investment in Lionhead Studios, a leading video game developer, through a sale to Microsoft Game Studios.
FRANCE - Finatem acquires Mecanindus-Vogelsang Group
Finatem has acquired 75% of Mecanindus-Vogelsang group. The remaining 25% interest has been acquired by the management and the former owners. IKB provided senior debt to finance the transaction via its Frankfurt and Paris offices.
UK - 3i's Nolan to assume UK buyout leadership role
3i has announced that its pan-European buyout business has given responsibility for its UK buyout operations to Ian Nolan.
GERMANY - German secretary of finance points to changes in law
Speaking at the BVK's eighth private equity convention, Joachim Würmeling set out the German government's intent to improve the country's legal framework for private equity funds. The secretary to the German ministry of finance said 'As announced in the...
SWEDEN - EQT sells Tradex to Brady Corporation
EQT II has signed an agreement with Brady Corporation, Milwaukee, a world leader in identification solutions and precision die-cut components, to sell Tradex Converting AB. EQT acquired Tradex in May 2000, together with the sixth AP Fund (20%) and the...
NORWAY - Ferd Private Equity Fund acquires D&F Group
FPEF has acquired the oil service company D&F Group from the founders and management of the company. The company is a leading supplier of services to the oil and gas industry on the Norwegian continental shelf within the areas of surface treatment, passive...
UK - LDC backs buyout of National Accident Helpline
LDC has backed the management buyout of National Accident Helpline (NAH) т the UKтs biggest personal injury claims management company.
UK - Primary backs FoneStarz in £4m development funding
Primary Capital has backed mobile content specialist FoneStarz Media Group Ltd with ТЃ4m of development funding and taken a 50% stake in the company.
UK - North West Equity Fund invests in Malagasy
North West Equity Fund has led a ТЃ150,000 round of funding for Malagasy Ltd. Debt was provided by HSBC and Rosebud Fund.
FRANCE – AtriA welcomes new recruit
Matthieu Rambaud has joined AtriA Capital Partenaires as deal executive. He previously worked at Bain & Company since 2000, first as a consultant and then as a project manager for strategy and performance improvement missions. Rambaud joins the team of...
UK - Duke Street invests £100m in Food to Go
Duke Street Capital has acquired Food Partners, a leading supplier of pre-packed sandwiches to food service operators in the UK.
FRANCE - Sagard acquires laundry group from Astorg
Sagard has backed the secondary buyout of Régie Linge Développement (RLD) from Astorg Partners. The private equity house has gained an 80% shareholding in France’s third largest professional linen hire, while the management team holds the balance. Although...
UK - Hg announces new appointments
HgCapital has announced five new appointments and the establishment of a services sector team to be lead by Robin Lincoln.
SWITZERLAND - Endoart SA receives SFr 13.5m series C funding
A syndicate of investors co-led by Venture Incubator AG, Switzerland and Renaissance PME managed by Vinci Capital has invested SFr 13.5m in Endoart SA. The series C financing also received commitments from EMBL Ventures and Genevest. A number of existing...