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Deals

Private equity house Key Capital Partners (KCP) has continued its recent string of new investments backing an innovative provider of specialist IT Services with a GBP4m equity investment, to support continued growth and expansion. GBP16 million turnover London based Sparta Global operates the Sparta Training Academy, a growing IT trainer and provider of IT services. The firm’s clients include private sector firms and government clients, including Channel 4, Three Mobile, and the Ministry of Justice. The Sparta Academy model up-skills new IT graduates with intensive in-house training, which enables Sparta Global to provide blue-chip clients with homegrown, high-calibre IT Consultants,
Northrop Grumman Corporation is to acquire Orbital ATK for approximately USD7.8 billion in cash, plus the assumption of USD1.4 billion in net debt. Orbital ATK shareholders will receive all-cash consideration of USD134.50 per share. The agreement has been approved unanimously by the Boards of Directors of both companies. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2018 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory and Orbital ATK shareholder approval.    “The acquisition of Orbital ATK is an exciting strategic step as we continue to invest for profitable growth. Through our combination, customers will benefit from
Volo Commerce, a provider of multichannel e-commerce technology, has raised GBP6.2 million in new investment led by NVM Private Equity with participation from funds managed by Downing LLP.  Volo will primarily use this new funding to expand its business into North America and across other international sales channels.   Volo Commerce enables brands and retailers to maximise the opportunity of multichannel commerce.   By deploying Volo’s software platform, customers are able to efficiently and rapidly grow their e-commerce business by accessing leading marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay and Walmart, and automating all aspects of the selling process. In addition, the
Law firm Howard Kennedy has advised new client Arthur Online Limited, a property management software firm, on its first round of external funding, which raised over GBP1 million via equity subscriptions. Founded and developed by property managers for property managers, Arthur (www.arthuronline.co.uk) provides a ‘one-stop-shop’, cloud-based, end-to-end property management solution which simplifies the process of property management by allowing a group of interconnected stakeholders to connect and share through a platform from anywhere in the world. Arthur was established in 2014 and has experienced huge success in the UK and internationally.  It is currently used to manage over 50,000 units
Costello has secured USD1 million in funding led by Dundee Venture Capital with participation from Elevate Ventures, M25 Group, and Service Provider Capital. Costello’s sales deal management platform helps sales reps consistently follow sales methodology, gives managers visibility into the quality of every deal and shows sales leaders what’s working and what’s not.   Costello connects sales team members to close deals faster, reduce administrative tasks, and gain valuable insights.   “We worked collaboratively with over 50 sales leaders and professionals to solve the most important challenge faced by sales reps and leaders – execution,” said Costello Founder Frank Dale.
Palmarium, through its subsidiary VIEO, has acquired Lebara Group and the Lebara Trademark Companies. Since its inception in 2001, Lebara is recognised as one of the fastest growing pan-European mobile companies and aims to offer inclusive and accessible products and services.   Through its 275 thousand outlets, Lebara has a unique reach to its growing customer base of over 3.5 million. Lebara’s culture is driven by innovation and business successes and has a diverse workforce and best-in-class customer service with numerous industry awards.   Palmarium gives Lebara strong backing and expertise to grow and drive the digitalisation of the business.
Alternative credit investment firm Crescent Capital Group’s European Specialty Lending strategy has provided a unitranche financing for the acquisition of Armitage Pet Care by Rutland Partners. Armitage is the largest independent manufacturer and supplier of premium-branded pet treats and accessories in the UK. The business’s strong brand portfolio includes “GoodBoy”, a leading premium dog treats brand. From its manufacturing and distribution base in Colwick, near Nottingham, Armitage supplies over 2,000 products across the dog, cat, small domestic pet, bird and fish categories to a broad customer base including the major supermarkets and pet specialist retailers.   “Armitage is a leading
TrueCommerce, a global provider of trading partner connectivity and integration solutions, has acquired Datalliance, a provider of technology and services to support collaborative replenishment programs such as vendor managed inventory (VMI) and related business needs. This addition complements the TrueCommerce portfolio of offerings by providing a strategic technology service that extends its commerce network into the collaborative replenishment, inventory management and demand forecasting markets.   Omni-channel enablement changed the traditional ordering process by requiring more visibility and collaboration. VMI aligns business objectives and streamlines supply chain operations for both suppliers and their supply chain partners. Trading partners focused on collaboration
CIFC, a US private debt investment manager specialising in US corporate and structured credit strategies, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) to form CIFC CLO Strategic Partners II, a new capitalised manager-owned affiliate of CIFC (CMOA II). CMOA II intends to purchase the majority equity positions of CIFC’s future, new issue Collateralised Loan Obligations (CLOs) to comply with US and EU risk USD75 million. CIFC has issued a total of USD2.9 billion in new CLOs, making the Firm the largest issuer by assets this year. CMOA II is expected to support approximately
Goldman Sachs has joined Sagamore Development Company’s Port Covington redevelopment effort as an equity investor, committing USD233 million to the project, the largest single private equity investment made by the firm’s Urban Investment Group to date. Port Covington is a 235-acre master-planned, mixed-use redevelopment project, with a prime location on the waterfront in Baltimore, and is expected to create thousands of new jobs, build new residential housing, attract new businesses, and provide new opportunities for Baltimore City residents and its workforce.   “This is tremendous news for Baltimore City and our workforce,” says Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh. “Baltimore is

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