Caledonia Investments has invested GBP24 million in cash to acquire a 20% preferred equity interest in B&W Group Limited (“Bowers & Wilkins” or the “Company”), a well-established and rapidly growing British company which designs, manufactures and distributes high-end audio equipment.  Bowers & Wilkins has been led by Joe Atkins, its Chairman, since 1996. The investment in Bowers & Wilkins represents a good fit with Caledonia’s strategic aims in the unquoted sector. The Company is managed by an experienced and stable team, has a strong balance sheet and benefits from a global operational footprint and exposure to expanding markets where its

International law firm Eversheds has advised Isis Equity Partners and management on the sale and secondary buy out of Wiggle, the online cycling and tri-sports retailer, to Bridgepoint Capital for GBP180m. Wiggle was founded in 1999 initially to sell cycling accessories but by 2003 had expanded its offer to include running and swimming goods. ISIS invested in the business in 2006, and has supported and helped to build it. Today it’s the UK’s leading online retailer for enthusiastic road cyclists and triathletes, and truly global in its offering. It has over 1 million shopper visits a week to its online

An affiliate of Sun European Partners, the European adviser to Sun Capital Partners, Inc, has reached an agreement to acquire shares in German retail chain Strauss Innovation (Strauss) from The EQT Opportunity Fund. The Geringhoff family will also sell its stake. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed. Strauss is a private-label retail chain with approximately 100 stores in Germany and around 1,100 employees. The business has strong customer loyalty and is well known for its innovative assortment concept, combining interior decor with women’s and men’s apparel.   EQT Opportunity acquired Strauss in 2008 and has since executed

The Mezzanine team at AXA Private Equity has arranged and subscribed the financing for the acquisition of Unither Pharmaceuticals by Equistone Partners Europe. Unither is being acquired by Equistone, alongside historical shareholders ING Parcom Private Equity, CM-CIC Investment and Picardie Investment. Unither Pharmaceuticals was originally purchased in 1993 from a Sanofi’s factory employing 17 people in Amiens, France. It is now a global manufacturer of unidose packaging for European pharmaceutical laboratories, and generic products, particularly eyewashes, saline solutions and anti-asthma drugs in sterile single-dose units and stick-packs.   With four industrial sites and an R&D centre, Unither generated revenues of

Patron Capital, the pan-European private equity group, has acquired, together with its new joint venture partner, Halcyon Hotels and Resorts, over 30% of the Von Essen Group portfolio from its administrators; the acquired assets formed a sub-brand within Von Essen known as the Luxury Family Hotels collection. Four of the assets were owned until 2005 by Nigel Chapman, Halcyon’s Chief Executive, who together with Patron Capital is committed to returning them to their former glory and restoring the Luxury Family Hotels brand.   The seven hotels being acquired have a total of 211 keys, with a restaurant and spa/leisure facilities

Vinci Partners, a Brazilian Investment Management firm headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, has selected SunGard’s Investran to help automate partnership accounting and performance reporting across its private equity investment portfolios. SunGard’s Investrant supports the entire investment lifecycle, from fundraising through reporting and portfolio monitoring. It automates front-, middle- and back-office processes for private equity and alternative investment firms. Investran will help Vinci streamline its back office operations by monitoring cash flows and tracking its portfolio performance, investor reports and investor capital account balances. It will also facilitate firm-wide reporting and be used for performance and exposure reporting for accurate and

Investment Management Group (IMG) has completed its acquisition of an approximately 70% per cent stake in a retail park to be built in Tver, Russia, on behalf of its Russia Development Fund. The retail park, developed by Normal Asset Management (NAM), will be the largest modern shopping centre of its class to be built in Tver, a city located 134 km northwest of Moscow. The project will consist of two “big box” anchors: a hypermarket operated by Globus, a German retailer, and a DIY store operated by French group Leroy Merlin, which will be connected by a retail gallery. The

Forbion Capital Partners has announced the first and final closing of its second FCF 1 Co-Investment Fund at approximately USD50m. The fund aims to invest additional capital, alongside its existing funds, in several late stage FCF 1 portfolio companies that are close to an exit. Forbion’s first FCF 1 Co-Investment Fund of €54m closed in September 2010, and has made six investments to date, two of which have already been sold, repaying the entire fund up to two times. These exits include Biovex, sold to Amgen in January 2011 for up to USD1bn and Pathway Medical, sold in September 2011

Niagara LaSalle Corporation (Niagara LaSalle) has been acquired by strategic buyer Optima Specialty Steel, Inc. Niagara LaSalle is a portfolio company of private equity firm Kohlberg & Company. Harris Williams & Co. acted as the exclusive advisor to Niagara LaSalle. The transaction closed on 5 December, 2011 and was led by Mike Hogan (pictured), Ned Valentine, John Arendale, Dave Kennedy and Doug Kinard from the firm’s Richmond office along with Jeremy Eberlein from the firm’s Cleveland office.   Niagara LaSalle is North America’s largest independent manufacturer of high quality engineered cold finished steel bars, serving a broad range of customers in

JWI Capital, a Cleveland, Ohio based investment firm, has completed a controlling equity investment in Weaver Express Blower Services, an installer and manufacturer of compost-based filter socks and other compost-based products for erosion and sediment control applications. Weaver’s compost-based filter sock products and services primarily focus on eliminating or minimising sediment run-off from construction sites. Weaver also provides other environmental services such as stream bank restoration, and steep slope stabilisation by utilising "green" bio-engineered technology. Weaver Express was founded in 2000 by Kevin and Keith Weaver, who have retained an ownership position in the business and will continue to work for