A GBP185 million business growth fund was launched in December to help small and medium-sized enterprises across the North West of England.   The North West Fund, formerly known as the Venture Capital and Loan Fund, is the largest public sector fund in the UK and will be used to

Aureos Latin America Fund has acquired a 40% interest in Peru’s leading tour operator company, Condor Travel S.A.C. as part of a management buyout in which Sammy Niego, CEO of the company, has increased his participation to 51%. This landmark transaction in the Peruvian market is the Aureos Latin America

Global private equity firm HIG Capital has acquired a majority interest in ProPet, a specialist in the manufacturing of premium and super-premium, private label dry pet food for distribution domestically and around the world. Based in St Marys, Ohio, and with additional operating facilities in Kansas City, Kansas and Owatonna,

ThermaSys Corporation, a US manufacturer of highly engineered copper, brass and aluminum heat exchanger components and assemblies, has acquired Covrad Holdings and Serck Heat Transfer, two UK-based manufacturers of heat transfer products. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. ThermaSys, headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, is an affiliated portfolio company of

Private equity firm MidOcean Partners has acquired a significant equity position in Freshpet, a leading manufacturer and marketer of fresh, refrigerated food for dogs and cats.   Founded in 2006, Freshpet produces a line of natural and nutritious food and treats for dogs and cats under the Freshpet Select, Deli

Paris-based M&A investment manager, Bernheim, Dreyfus, has reported continuing strong performance for its flagship Diva Synergy Enhanced Fund through 2010. In the 12 month period, the Fund’s dollar class gained 27.35% net and the euro class 27.91%. Diva Synergy’s strong performance reflects, to some extent, a growth in mergers and

Matrix Private Equity Partners (Matrix) has scored a hat-trick of new deals with the announcement of the GBP8.5 million management buyout (MBO) of Automated Systems Group Ltd (ASL), one of the UK’s largest independent reprographic and print solutions suppliers.   This is Matrix’s third deal in a month following the GBP9

The number of mergers and acquisitions during Q4 2010 fell by 20.6 per cent compared to Q4 2009, bringing the volume of deals for the whole of 2010 to 4,240 – 4.5 per cent fewer than the total number of deals in 2009, according to Experian. The company’s latest mergers

Dale Pfost has joined Advent Venture Partners as a venture partner.  Dr Pfost has more than 25 years of experience as a life science entrepreneur and CEO, with expertise in high technology research tools, genomics, diagnostics and therapeutics.  He will be based in the US and will assist General Partners