News
UK - Terra Firma places bid for Thames Water
A Terra Firma-led consortium has placed its bid for Thames Water, the £7bn water company being sold by German power group RWE, according to the Financial Times.
UK - Apax nears final stages of its exit from The Stationery Office
The largest publisher in the UK by volume, which does much of the govenrment's printing, is the subject of an auction between three private equity bidders and two trade buyers, according to the Financial Times. The auction is now in its second round.
GERMANY - Rodenstock on the block
According to market sources, Permira is currently in the process of pricing eyeglass lens and frame specialist Rodenstock for a possible exit. Permira acquired a 49% stake in the company in 2003, raising its stake to 85% the following year.
SWEDEN - 3i invests in HTC
3i has acquired around one-third of the shares in HTC Sweden AB through a capital injection of SEK 100m as well as a purchase of shares from existing shareholders. The new capital will fund further expansion of the company.
GERMANY - Apax and Blackstone to sell Sulo
According to press reports, the largest deal ever to take place in Germany's waste disposal sector is in the pipeline. Berlin-based Alba is looking to buy its Hamburg-based competitor Sulo from Apax Partners and The Blackstone Group. No firm commitments...
FINLAND - Eqvitec and Creandum invest in Colochrome
Colochrome Ltd, a Finnish manufacturer of protective lenses for mobile handsets and hand-held electronic devices, has secured series-A financing from Eqvitec Technology Fund III and Creandum. The arrangement also includes debt financing from the OP Bank...
SPAIN - Ahorro Corporación acquires Axesor
The private equity fund Ahorro Corporación has agreed to buy Axesor, a company specialising in online corporate communication systems, from Capital Riesgo Internet. The final price is dependant on due diligence being carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
UK - Bridges Community Ventures invests in Chill Factor, Manchester
Bridges Community Ventures (Bridges), the UK’s community development venture capital company, has announced its investment in Chill Factor, North West England’s first indoor real snow Alpine village to be built in Trafford, Greater Manchester. Bridges...
ITALY - Permira to float Ferretti for the second time
Permira is looking to re-list its portfolio company Ferretti, a manufacturer of high performance luxury motor yachts, on the Milan Stock Exchange this year or early in 2007.
SWEDEN - Industri Kapital sells entire Oriflame holding
The Industri Kapital 1997 Fund has sold its remaining shareholding in Swedish cosmetics company Oriflame Cosmetics SA for SEK 242 per Swedish Depositary Receipts (SDR). The sale corresponds to 4.5% of the total number of shares and votes in Oriflame and...
BELGIUM - 3i acquires Abx Logistics
3i has recently completed the purchase of Abx Logistics Worldwide from Ferrovie Belghe (controlled by SNCB Holding). The consideration has not been disclosed, but reports in the Belgian press suggest 3i paid EUR 80m for the logistics company.
ITALY - Permira looking to sell Grandi Navi Veloci
According to financial sources in Milan, private equity giant Permira is in talks with fund manager Investitori Associati to sell its portfolio company Grandi Navi Veloci for EUR 750m. The purchase is currently going through the due diligence on the ferry...
ITALY - Sisal SpA to be sold in EUR 1.3bn secondary buyout
The newspaper Il Sole 24Ore has reported that Sisal SpA, a portfolio company of private equity firm Clessidra, is due to be sold to another group in a secondary buyout that can reach the sum of EUR 1.3bn.
UK - Lovells boosts private equity team in London
Lovells has continued its programme of strengthening its London private equity capability with the recruitment into the partnership of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Carey partner Tom Whelan and Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson senior associate Stephanie...
UK - Barclays Ventures backs MBO of Sitec T&C Ltd
Barclays Ventures has backed the incumbent management team of Sitec T&C Ltd investing £5m as part of a transaction that values the company at approximately £23m. Sitec is the UK's leading independent provider of rail signalling testing and commissioning...
BELGIUM - Carlyle acquires FRS Global from S1 Corporation
The Carlyle Group and technology investor Kennet Partners today announce that they have acquired FRS Global from S1 Corporation (NASDAQ: SONE). FRS Global is headquartered in Belgium and employs 190 people. It has the largest installed customer base in...
UK - Hermes backs Mayfair Gaming to acquire Beacon Bingo
Hermes Private Equity, together with Mayfair Gaming, has acquired Thomas Estates, the owner of three large Beacon Bingo clubs, and 24 Showboat adult gaming centres (AGCs), from the Thomas family. Deloitte and Linklaters advised Hermes Private Equity and...
UK - IPO of Cineworld back on
The Sunday Times reported yesterday that Blackstone is to revive its plans to float Cineworld, Britain's second largest cinema chain. The planned IPO was pulled in June due to market volatility.
UK - Lloyds TSB boosts acquisition finance team
Ian Brown is to join Lloyds TSB as a managing director within the bank’s acquisition finance team. In a newly formed role, Brown will head a team specifically created to target larger financial sponsors and win more lead managed underwriting roles for...
CZECH REPUBLIC - Mid Europa sells cable company
Central and Eastern European investor Mid Europa Partners (MEP) has sold its 82% stake in Czech cable company Karneval Media to UPC, the Czech Republic’s number one player. The EUR 322.5m deal saw the bankers of UPC (Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan) take...
UK - NBGI Private Equity acquires recruitment business for £11.2m
NBGI Private Equity has acquired hotgroup’s traditional recruitment consultancy business for £11.2m from Trinity Mirror plc, the UK’s largest newspaper publisher. The business has been renamed ‘Ochre House’.
GERMANY - Baird Capital Partners Europe acquires Prettl
Baird Capital Partners Europe has acquired a majority stake in Prettl Appliance Systems Group. The company, which is being sold by its family owners, specialises in the development and production of control panels for white goods.
GERMANY - Michael Schneider to chair BayBG supervisory board
Michael Schneider has been elected to chair the supervisory board of BayBG Bayerische Beteiligungsgesellschaft. Schneider is acting head of the executive commitee of LfA Förderbank Bayern, the largest single shareholder in BayBG.
UK - Vision Capital acquires portfolio of companies for £76.4m
Vision Capital has announced that it has exchanged contracts for the acquisition of a portfolio of four businesses from AEA Technology Plc (AEA) for a total consideration of up to £76.4m. Completion of the transaction is subject to clearance from competition...