The majority of fund managers (75 per cent) think the current environment is either “somewhat” or “very favourable” for private equity funds looking to invest, according to the fourth annual PErspective Private Equity Study by BDO USA. However, fund managers are not expecting a sudden boom in deal volume anytime soon. Fifty seven per cent of fund managers – regardless of fund size – expect to close between two and four new deals during the next 12 months, which is only a small increase from the 47 per cent of fund managers who closed between two and four new deals

Huron Capital Partners has invested in Six Month Smiles. Founded in 2006 by Dr Ryan Swain, Six Month Smiles is an economical approach to adult cosmetic orthodontics used by thousands of general dentists in the US, Canada, the UK, and Ireland.  Huron, in partnership with independent sponsor equity group Exium Partners, made the investment with a plan to continue growing the business through geographic expansion and new product offerings.  The Six Month Smiles transaction builds on Huron’s prior experience and success investing in the business services market and is the culmination of an active effort to identify investments specifically in

Manchester-based Palatine Private Equity has backed the management buyout of the amusement and gaming division of Midlands-based Inspired Gaming, in a deal introduced by Clearwater Corporate Finance. The deal is the second investment from Palatine’s Fund II. As part of the deal, the amusement and gaming division of Burton-upon-Trent-based Inspired Gaming, which has operations in Warrington, London and Burton, will be renamed Playnation.   Playnation is a supplier of amusement and gaming machines and supplies holiday parks, motorway services, bowling centres and airports, including Butlins, Haven, Parkdean, Park Resorts, Moto, Roadchef, Welcome Break, Tenpin and First Bowl. Turnover is expected

First Reserve is celebrating its 30th year in global energy investing, making it the oldest and largest global private equity firm exclusively focused on energy. Having begun their careers in energy investing in the early 1970s, William "Bill" Macaulay (pictured) and John Hill co-founded First Reserve in 1983 with the takeover of several distressed private energy funds. Since that time, the firm has raised more than USD23bn of aggregate capital since inception and now maintains the largest energy-focused private equity investment team in the industry. Its 41 active portfolio companies in the Buyout Funds and Infrastructure Fund trade on five

Mid-market private equity firm CBPE Capital has sold Rosemont Pharmaceuticals to Perrigo, the USD10bn US listed pharmaceuticals business. CBPE acquired Rosemont in August 2006 for GBP93m. The sale to Perrigo represents an investment multiple of 3.25x CBPE’s GBP52m equity investment over the investment period for CBPE’s investors.   Rosemont develops, manufactures and supplies oral liquid medicines for patients who have difficulty in swallowing tablets and capsules. Its customers include hospitals, wholesalers and retail pharmacies. Rosemont’s range of medicines improves the lives of patients with swallowing difficulties which typically affect the elderly and young children.   CBPE has funded significant investment

Cleantech investment specialist MTI Partners has completed a GBP2m investment round in Oxford Photovoltaics (OPV), an Oxford University spin-out materials/cleantech company commercialising solid-state dye sensitized solar cells for the building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) sector. These new, transparent solar cells can be produced from inexpensive, abundant, non-toxic and non-corrosive materials and be scaled to any volume. They can be printed directly onto glass in a range of colours, making them ideally suited to use in glazing panels and facades. This latest investment round allows OPV to build on its technical and commercial teams and construct its own product development and test

Salvepar, an investment company which is 92 per cent owned by the Tikehau Group, has sold three of its holdings. Salvepar conducts an active policy of minority and medium-term shareholding acquisitions in listed and non-listed companies. The firm has accepted a firm and binding offer for its entire shareholding in Polygone SA from its co-founder Olivier Ginon for a total amount of EUR9.2m. As a result of Qualium Investissement’s sale of its shareholding in Socotec to Cobepa (a Belgian investment company) and to funds managed by Five Arrows Managers, as well as to the management and employees, Salvepar’s mezzanine bonds

EQT IV has signed an agreement with an affiliate of Sun European Partners, the European adviser to Sun Capital Partners, to sell BTX Group. BTX is a wholesaler comprised of five brands: Brandtex, Jensen Women, Signature, Imitz and Ciso, all of which have their own identity, addressing various sub-segments of the mature womenswear market.  During EQT IV’s ownership period, BTX has been through a significant transformation. Being initially a traditional manufacturing and wholesale company, the company is today a focused clothing business, targeting the classic mature woman and having a clear retail-focus, including more than 120 shop-in-shops solutions with its

The London office of international legal practice Norton Rose has advised UBM on the proposed GBP160m disposal of certain parts of its data services business to Electra Private Equity Partners. UBM’s proposed disposal of its data services business consists of five divisions: Aviation, Global Trade, Medica, RISI and Tech Insights. The disposal involves the sale of 70 companies in 44 jurisdictions and asset sales in the UK, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. As well as London, the transaction involved additional advice being sought from 15 Norton Rose offices globally, in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Holland, Hong Kong, Japan,