Private equity firm The Carlyle Group has closed its Carlyle Asia Partners III fund at USD2.55bn, which is more than 40 per cent larger than its predecessor fund, Carlyle Asia Partners II. Carlyle Asia Partners III is the third ex-Japan Asia Pacific private equity fund advised by the Carlyle Asia

Private investment firm Sun Capital Partners says one of its affiliated portfolio companies, Elan Nutrition, has been purchased by ConAgra Foods. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Elan Nutrition is a contract developer and manufacturer of nutritional bars serving the health and wellness, meal replacement, sports nutrition, energy bar, and nutraceuticals

Rembrandt Venture Partners has closed a second fund in the amount of USD160.5m. It will be invested in early-stage companies with ground-breaking technology offerings. The fund was oversubscribed, exceeding its initial target by USD10.5m. Rembrandt has been a participant in several recent successes in the high tech space, including Cavium,

US venture capital firms raised USD3.6bn in the first quarter of 2010 from 32 funds, according to Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association. This level marks a 31 per cent decline, by dollar commitments, compared to the first quarter of 2009, and a 44 per cent decline by

Angelo Gordon’s Net Lease Group has acquired the headquarters and sole North American distribution centre of Claire’s Stores, located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, for USD18.1m. Claire’s has been a portfolio investment of Apollo Management since 2007. Claire’s is a mall-based retailer of value-oriented fashion accessories and jewellery with two brands:

Private equity firm Advent International has held the final close of its Latin American Private Equity Fund V at USD1.65bn. The fund, which was oversubscribed, is the largest private equity fund ever raised for Latin America. It is more than 25 per cent larger than Advent’s previous fund dedicated to

Private equity firm Denham Capital Management has made an equity investment in Trans-Tasman Resources, which explores and develops iron sands deposits off the North Island of New Zealand. TTR holds a prospecting permit granting exclusive mineral rights over 6,319 square kilometres of seabed in two offshore areas. TTR’s initial prospecting

DX Group, the UK and Ireland’s largest independent mail and courier company, has agreed to a capital refinancing and a management buy-in led by Petar Cvetkovic and David Hoare. DX Group’s main shareholder, the private equity house Candover Partners, as manager of the Candover 2005 Fund, is to inject fresh

New York-based private equity firm Hudson Ferry Capital has made an investment in Mason Dixon Energy, the largest provider of land services to oil and gas companies east of the Mississippi. Mason Dixon Energy provides the following land services for its clients in the exploration and production, pipeline and electrical