Deals
UK mergers and acquisitions activity totalled GBP23.5bn with 213 deals in Q1 2013, up 46.9 per cent compared to Q1 2012 (GBP16bn), but down 22.5 per cent in deal count (275 deals), according to MergerMarkets’ UK M&A Round-up for Q1 2013.
The country witnessed a second consecutive quarterly increase, up 27 per cent from Q4 2012 (GBP18.5bn), and accounted for 31.7 per cent of total European M&A (GBP74.1bn) activity, up from 15.6 per cent in the same period last year.
Results are largely down to the country’s top deal where Liberty Global acquired Virgin Media for GBP20bn, contributing 59.2
Private equity firm Graphite Capital has sold its majority shareholding in Optimum Care, a provider of homes and care to elderly residents, to Four Seasons Health Care, the UK’s largest independent elderly and specialist care provider, which is owned by Terra Firma.
Optimum, which was created in June 2007, now operates 17 homes with a total of 1,213 beds. The homes have high levels of occupancy and operate under the Avery brand name.
Graphite’s development capital investment in Optimum enabled the company to build and acquire care homes across England, starting initially with one trading home. Under its
AXA Private Equity, a European diversified private equity firm, has sold its majority stake in Aixam Mega to Polaris Industries, the US industrial group which specialises in powersports.
Aixam Mega is a European company which produces on-road motorized quadricycles and light duty commercial vehicles. Founded in 1983, the company manufactures and sells its passenger vehicles under the Aixam brand and light duty commercial vehicles under the Mega brand. Its distribution network comprises more than 400 partners throughout Europe.
Aixam Mega is based in Aix-les-Bains, France, and has two industrial sites across the country. AXA Private Equity took a
Bright Horizons Family Solutions, a provider of employer-sponsored child care and early education, has acquired kidsunlimited, one of the UK’s largest providers of nursery care, for a cash consideration of GBP45m.
The acquisition provides an exit for kidsunlimited’s private equity investor, LDC, which backed a secondary buyout of the business in 2008.
Bright Horizons, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, is a provider of child care, early education and other services designed to help employers and families better address the challenges of work and life. It delivers centre-based full service child care, back-up dependent care and
Swander Pace Capital, a private equity firm specialising in investments in consumer products companies, has completed the acquisition of Caleel + Hayden Holdings, d.b.a gloProfessional.
Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
"Swander Pace’s reputation and track record with respected brands in the beauty and personal care field is impressive," says Sean Butler, president of gloProfessional. "Through this partnership, we look forward to tapping their expertise and insight as we collaborate to maximise gloProfessional’s growth."
gloProfessional is a leader in the professional beauty domain with mineral-based cosmetics under the glominerals brand, premium skin care products under
Media technology company Sticky has closed a USD3m funding round with European tech investors Conor and Northzone.
Sticky claims that over 50 per cent of online impressions are never seen, while 30 per cent of those impressions that are considered “viewable” (in-screen) are also never seen. Sticky is designed to get inside the eyes of a consumer showing a client whether their ad is actually seen or not.
Sticky’s growing list of clients includes P&G, L’Oreal, McDonalds, and GroupM, among others.
"With the Sticky Platform, brand advertisers will be able to optimise their campaigns and increase their
The first quarter of 2013 saw an aggregate USD9.7bn raised by six natural resources funds, the highest quarterly amount since the peak of USD16.6bn seen in Q2 2009.
The significant USD9.7bn raised by private equity natural resources funds that closed in Q1 2013 already exceeds the aggregate amount of capital raised by natural resources funds closed in the whole of 2011, when USD6.8bn was raised.
Q1 2013 follows on from a particularly successful fundraising year for natural resources funds in 2012, when 22 natural resources funds secured an aggregate USD22.5bn, which is similar to the peak levels of
Huron Capital Partners’ portfolio company, Ronnoco Coffee, has acquired International Blends, a distributor of coffee and other related products to convenience stores, restaurants and offices.
The transaction brings Ronnoco and International Blends together and expands Ronnoco’s service area in its core markets.
Scott Meader, chief executive of Ronnoco, says: "We are very excited to partner with International Blends and have the opportunity to serve their customer base. International Blends is a well-known name in its geography and we believe it fits well into the strategic acquisition plan that we are currently pursuing in partnership with Huron Capital."
Affiliates and clients of KKR, including KKR Financial Holdings, in partnership with Colonie Pacific, have acquired Colonie Center.
Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
Colonie is a 1.3 million square foot super-regional mall with over 113 stores that sit on 91 acres in Albany, New York. The centre, located directly off of I-87 at the intersection of Wolf Road and Central Avenue where an average of 117,000 vehicles pass daily, benefits from being in a high-traffic area and within two miles of the University at Albany. The property generates an estimated USD245m in retail sales,
Private equity firm Evolution Capital Partners, in partnership with management, has acquired AXIOM Sales Force Development.
This partnership represents the third platform investment in Evolution’s second fund.
AXIOM, based in Dallas, Texas, specialises in global sales coaching, sales methodology, integrated software solutions and implementation services. Its sales force development solution drives measurable impact on both revenue and profits for its clients. AXIOM offers sales training and resources through live events, customised coaching, and an extensive online learning centre.
"We are very excited to have partnered with AXIOM and its management team; their approach to sales force training
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