News
UK - Private equity bids for GUS divisions
GUS has decided to stick with its plan of demerging its marketing and information services arm from its retail division despite private equity bids for the whole group, according to the Times today. The bid for the whole group would value it at £11.7bn.
UK - Northern Venture Managers invests in property management services
Northern Venture Managers (NVM) has provided Touchstone Asset Management with development capital to acquire Castle Estates and Calbarrie (together the Castle group). This combination will create a leading property management services provider in an exciting...
UK - HgCapital sells Castlebeck for £255m
HgCapital today announced the sale of Castlebeck to Castle Holdings Ltd, a Jersey-registered company associated with Barchester Healthcare group, the leading quality private healthcare provider for £255m.
UK - Doughty Hanson to sell off remaining stake in RHM
After floating RHM last year, Doughty Hanson is to realise its remaining 26.6% stake in the business.
UK - Candover to take DX Services private
The business to business mail services provider DX Services is to be delisted following an offer made by a vehicle owned by Candover Partners.
SWEDEN - Altor acquires PIAB
Altor Fund II has signed an agreement to acquire the Swedish vacuum technology company, PIAB Invest AB from the Tell family. Altor are aiming to significantly expand the company within the next few years as they will now have the required capital and...
UK - ABN AMRO Capital acquires Volution from Montagu Private Equity
ABN AMRO Capital has agreed to acquire Volution Holdings Ltd from Montagu Private Equity with the transaction expected to complete in August 2006.
NL- KBC acquires 35% stake in Afa Polytek
KBC Private Equity has acquired a 35% stake in Afa Polytek BV and its affiliated companies, collectively called the Afa Group.
BELGIUM - KBC invests in Intek
KBC Private Equity has invested EUR 1m via its KBC Arkiv fund in Intek, a company specialised in the production and distribution of electronic locks. The transaction was privately sourced and completed at the beginning of July.
GERMANY - 3i and Creathor acquire Accovion
3i and Creathor have wholly acquired Accovion AG from Sanofi-Aventis. Accovion was spun out from Aventis' departments for clinical research, biological statistics and drug monitoring. 3i financed the 2001 spin-out with a significant minority participation.
SPAIN - Candover set to buy Applus +
According to reports in the Spanish press, Candover Partners has signed an agreement to buy Applus + from its shareholders Aguas de Barcelona, Unión Fenosa and Caja Madrid, for EUR 915m.
UK - Private equity set to acquire Hard Rock Cafe
According to reports in the Financial Times today, the Rank Group is conducting a review of its Hard Rock Cafe business with the help of Merrill Lynch.
UK - BDO Stoy Hayward appoints new partner to private equity team
BDO Stoy Hayward is continuing to strengthen its private equity service specialism with the appointment of a new partner, Mark O’Leary. He joins from Baker Tilly where he developed and led their Private Equity Transaction Support service.
GERMANY - Auctus acquires Aluminium smelting specialist
Auctus Management has acquired aluminium smelting specialist ZPF therm GmbH. Financial details have not been disclosed, but the buy and build specialist will consider strategic add-on acquisitions. BW Bank provided debt financing for the transaction.
FRANCE - Médica France sold by Bridgepoint to BC Partners
BC Partners has agreed to acquire Médica France, one of the country's largest nursing home groups, for EUR 750m. BC Partners alongside AXA Private Equity have backed the management of Médica allowing Bridgepoint and AlpInvest to exit having held the...
SWEDEN – Glintir acquires Fischer Partners
Glintir has today announced the acquisition of all shares in the Swedish brokerage firm Fischer Partners from Invik & Co AB. This will enable Glintir to establish a solid platform in the Nordic securities brokerage sector as Fischer Partners has shown...
UK - Citigroup Corporate & Investment Banking team makes new appointment.
Citigroup has today announced the appointment of Laurent de Rosière into their Private Equity Placements Group as vice president. He will be joining from Acanthus Advisers where he was principal from 2003. He will be amongst a number of recent recruits.
SPAIN - Espiga Capital exits Stock Uno
Espiga Capital, along with other shareholders, has recently sold its entire shareholding in Stock Uno to Ibersuizas in a BIMBO worth approximately EUR 30m. The transaction represents returns to Espiga of 2.5x its original investment, equivalent to an...
FRANCE - Montefiore takes majority stake in art equipment distributor
Montefiore Investment has acquired a 78% of Promo Art, for an undisclosed sum. Management retains the balance. As a result of the transaction, BNP Private Equity, IDPC and Naxicap Partners exit the first round investment they made in 2001.
SWEDEN - Fiskars Corporation to purchase Silva Group
Fiskars Corporation has signed an agreement to acquire the Sweden-based Silva Group which will include its US-based subsidiary The Brunton Company. The two leading providers of outdoor activity-related products will operate under the Fiskar brands, including...
UK - Morrison a possible target for Texas Pacific, CVC and Permira
The Observer reported yesterday that private equity groups are weighing up an offer for supermarket group WM Morrison.
UK - Dunedin backs £21m MBO of etc.venues
Dunedin Capital Partners announces that it has backed the £21m management buyout of ETC Venues Ltd, one of London’s leading independent providers of meeting, training and event space. Dunedin is initially providing £6m of funding with a further £4m...
FRANCE - Duke Street Capital France appoints new investment manager
Duke Street Capital (DSC) has announced the appointment of their new investment manager, Vincent Dupuy, who will be starting at DSC France in July.
LITHUANIA - CapMan exits Drobe
CapMan has sold its holding in Lithuanian Drobe Wool Company to Plaza Corporation, a Lithuanian industrial development company.The CapMan funds Finnventure IV and Finnventure V originally invested in Drobe in 2000 along with the European Bank for Reconstruction...