Increasing demand for data storage and cloud computing services prompted private equity firms to acquire data centres in near-record numbers last year, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

IK Partners’ IK Small Cap III Fund is to invest in Responda Group, a provider of business process outsourcing (BPO) services to small and medium-sized enterprises in Sweden. 

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, has acquired Kilwin’s Quality Confections, Inc and Kilwins Chocolates Franchise, Inc, a franchisor, retailer, manufacturer and distributor of premium quality chocolate, ice cream and confectionary products. 

Indian carmaker Tata Motors is looking to raise up to $1 billion through the sale of a stake in its electric vehicle business and has opened discussions with a number of sovereign wealth funds and private equity investors over a potential deal, according to a report by the Economic Times.

US-based global private equity investor Apollo Global Management has had three approaches to acquire UK energy services and consulting firm John Wood Group rejected by the Aberdeen-based company, according to a report by The Guardian.

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, is to sell its portfolio company GL Education to Renaissance, a portfolio company of Blackstone Group and Francisco Partners. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

ArcLight Capital Partners, a middle market infrastructure investor, has sold Great River Hydro, a US renewable energy infrastructure platform and the largest conventional hydroelectric portfolio in New England, to affiliates of Hydro-Québec for a value of approximately $2 billion.

The Riverside Company has added to its SaaS portfolio through an investment in Gastromatic, a Germany-based provider of workforce management software solutions for small and medium sized businesses operating in shift-based industries.  Gastromatic’s software platform acts as the single source for all employee related data and enables customers and their staff to benefit from modern and digital workflows, resulting in more efficient operations and increased employee satisfaction.   Already more than 2,600 customers in shift-based industries rely on Gastromatic’s software platform to manage their workforce and to automate business processes, from staff scheduling to time recording to payroll across 12,000