News
THE NETHERLANDS - PE eyes on Stork
PE firms are reportedly looking at delisting Netherlands-based conglomerate Stork. Press reports suggest KKR, Blackstone, Carlyle and CVC Capital Partners are looking at potentially buying the firm, which has a market cap of EUR 1.6bn.
DENMARK - Dansk Kapitalanlæg splits into two funds
Dansk Kapitalanlæg has set up a new DKK 900m fund to invest in Danish companies with sales between DKK 25-250m. The group has decided to focus on investments in more established businesses.
UK - Barclays and Lloyds TSB support insurance broker
Leeds based Barclays Leveraged Finance (BLF) and Lloyds TSB Corporate Acquisition Finance have acted as joint mandated lead arranger in the provision of a £53m finance package to Oval, a leading industry consolidator in the corporate insurance broking...
UK - AdEPT Telecom floats on AIM
AdEPT Telecom has acheived an IPO on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. Overall a total of 5.8 m common shares at a price of 140 pence were placed to institutional and other investors in the UK and Europe. The net proceeds...
UK - Altius Associates hires client services specialist
Altius Associates has announced the appointment of Guy Paisner as European partner, client services. The hire will help Altius to strengthen its client services activities as it continues its strategy of designing tailor-made approaches for individual...
GERMANY - AXA consortium buys German private equity fund
A consortium led by AXA Private Equity, one of Europe's leading private equity houses, has acquired the German private equity fund Steadfast Capital Beteiligungen I. The purchasing consortium was led by AXA Private Equity and also includes CSFB Strategic...
UK - Monument hires for Europe
Monument Group, Inc., the independent private equity placement agent, has further expanded its capabilities in Europe with the hiring of Martin Anthonsen as director of its newly opened London affiliate, Monument Group (UK) Ltd.
FRANCE - Siparex records active 2005
Siparex has dubbed itself as the leading independent private equity investor in France’s middle market. Although investments over the past year were 11% lower than the amounts recorded in 2004, its exits have doubled and gross capital gains nearly tripled,...
EUROPE - LBO market smashes EUR 100bn barrier
2005 saw further significant growth in the European buyout market with the total value of deals topping EUR 100bn for the first time ever, according to the latest European Buyout Review due to be published in March 2006 by Incisive Media in association...
UK - LDC tops up its tan
LDC is about to announce the acquisition of St Tropez, the tanning specialist, according to press reports. The firm reportedly beat rival bidders including Phoenix Equity Partners and is expected to sign the deal in the next ten days.
SWITZERLAND - Partners Group announces IPO on SWX Swiss Exchange
Partners Group, the Swiss-based global alternative asset manager, has announced its intention to list on the SWX Swiss Exchange through an initial public offering. The IPO is expected to take the form of a public offering in Switzerland and private placements...
FRANCE - PE houses dig for French gold
CDC Entreprises has just acquired France’s largest chain of jewellers Marc Orian for an estimated EUR 140m, according to press reports. The Paris-based newco, Financière M.O, was taken private by Crédit Lyonnais Asset Management, now Crédit Agricole...
LITHUANIA - MartinsonTrigon acquires 100% of shares in MicroLink Lietuva
AS Martinson Trigon, a Tallinn-based investment fund, has acquired 100% of MicroLink Lietuva and IT training company Baltijos Kompiuteriu Akademija (BKA) from Lietuvos Telekomas.
UK - LA Fitness buys Crown Sports
The directors of Crown Sports and the board of the LA Fitness, a Mid-Ocean Partners portfolio company, have announced that they have reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Crown...
DENMARK - Denmark heads Forbes Capital Hospitality Index
Denmark, Finland and Iceland are the world's most hospitable countries to foreign investors, according to Forbes first Capital Hospitality Index.
UK - Real estate M&A to increase, says GT
The volume and value of mid-market M&A in the real estate sector has increased significantly over the past year, according to the latest Thomson Financial statistics analysed by Grant Thornton Corporate Finance. Whilst the number of mid-market deals in...
GERMANY - Granville Baird exits Westfalia-Automotive Group
Granville Baird Capital Partners has sold its majority stake in the Westfalia-Automotive Group to Odewald & Compagnie. Granville Baird, together with company management, bought an 87.5% stake in the trailor coupling device specialist in 2000.
GERMANY - Sale of ProSiebenSat.1 falls through
Germany's Commission to Investigate Media Concentration (KEK) has rejected the takeover of ProSiebenSat.1 by Axel Springer. The media regulator made a final decision in January to block the sale by a fiancial consortium led by Saban Capital due to market-share...
ITALY - Industria & Finanza acquires 18% of Eurovision Partecipazioni
The Italian private equity group Industria & Finanza SGR has acquired around 18% of the broadcasting group Eurovision Partecipazioni. Other shareholders include Sandro Parenzo, who holds the majority interest, and Alerion, which also owns 18%.
SWEDEN - Accent Equity divests Nordic Bake-Off to Vaasan & Vaasan
Accent Equity has announced the sale of Nordic Bake-Off to Vaasan & Vaasan, the Finnish Group of bakery businesses owned by CapVest Equity Partners. The value of the deal has not been disclosed, but it is understood that Accent has generated a very good...
FINLAND - Hannes Snellman ranked leading M&A law firm
Hannes Snellman has been identified as a leading Finnish law firm in areas such as M&A by the PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook 2006.
FRANCE - European Capital buys motorcycle specialist
European Capital has today announced the completion of its one stop buyout of Action Sport Holding, a leading distributor of motorcycle and bicycle gear and accessories in France. The group’s investment takes the form of senior term loans, mezzanine...
POLAND - Mid Europa acquires Wheelabrator Group
Mid Europa Partners, the largest private equity firm focused on Central and Eastern Europe, announces today its acquisition of Wheelabrator Group, the world’s leading surface preparation and finishing equipment specialist. Mid Europa has completed the...
FRANCE - Launch of First biotech start-up funding organisation
Inserm-Transfert Initiative is France’s first ever venture company to specialise in financing early-stage health and biotechnology projects. It has been launched by Inserm-Transfert, a French company that funds project development in the human health...