Lion Capital and The Blackstone Group International have received from Suntory Holdings a binding offer regarding the future ownership of the Orangina Schweppes Group. Orangina Schweppes Group will now undertake the appropriate communication and consultation with relevant employee representatives. The Blackstone Group and Lion Capital will only be able to

Aurora Capital, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, has signed a definitive agreement with HLTH to acquire its wholly owned subsidiary, Porex. The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. Founded in 1961, Porex is

Mistral Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on the consumer and media sectors, has made an investment in WorldLynx Wireless, a company formed to acquire 10 Bell Mobility independent wireless dealers across Canada. Worldlynx Wireless will have a national geographic footprint in both retail and small/medium business market coverage,

Jonathan Aberman, managing director of Amplifier Venture Partners, has published a white paper discussing the problems and challenges to the private venture capital model and offering policy recommendations to the Federal Government to address these challenges. In the White Paper, "The Decline of the United States Venture Capital Industry: What

Octopus Ventures, an investor in early-stage and expanding companies, has invested GBP1.355m into GetOptics. This investment facilitates the acquisition of GetLenses and PostOptics, creating GetOptics.   The combination of the two companies under the new brand GetOptics creates the UK’s largest online contact lens and eye care product business. The

The hedge fund and private equity industries contribute EUR9bn (GBP7.9bn) in tax revenues to European Union governments, according to a survey by independent think tank Open Europe. Open Europe said the EUR9b tax contribution would be enough to fund the EU’s entire overseas aid budget for 12 years. The tax

A group of investors in Wind Hellas Telecommunications’ subordinated notes have formally organised a bondholder committee representing the interests of investors holding approximately EUR500m of debt in both the EUR and USD tranches. The committee has gained significant traction in recent days as increasing numbers of investors with interests in

The UK business failure rate has fallen to its lowest level since September 2008, according to figures from Experian, an information services company. The business failure rate had been on an upward trend since 2007. However, Experian’s new monthly Insolvency and Distress Index, shows that 0.09 per cent of UK

Rutland Partners, a UK private equity partnership, has completed the acquisition of the CeDo group of companies from Delton for GBP52.2m. The transaction was announced on 29 July 2009 and was conditional on merger control clearances which have now been received. CeDo is a manufacturer of household disposables, manufacturing both