Managers
Consumer-focused private equity firm Brentwood Associates has acquired, through its affiliates, the Boston Proper direct-to-consumer business from Chico’s FAS, Inc. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
Boston Proper is a Boca Raton, Florida-based multi-channel retailer of women’s apparel and accessories, offering distinctive products with a focus on quality and style. In partnership with existing Boston Proper management, including Boston Proper President and Chief Merchandising Officer Sheryl Clark, Brentwood will refocus on building a unique and compelling direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand through Boston Proper’s print, digital and social channels.
“Boston Proper has been catering to a very particular niche
Cyrus Investment Management (CIM), a specialist engineering turnaround EIS investment adviser, has launched fundraising for Cyrus Precision Engineering EIS Fund 2.
The Fund will identify undercapitalised and undervalued Precision Engineering businesses in the UK that are suitable candidates for “growth investment”: the introduction of new capital, management, products and markets that improve the value of these companies enabling them, in turn, to be sold as a single, aggregated business at a premium to a third party trade buyer after a minimum of three years.
The Fund will be looking to continue the success of CIM’s first fund, Cyrus Precision
New York-based private equity firm Aquiline Capital Partners is to become the majority investor in Wellington Insurance Group, a Texas-based risk distribution business specialising in the delivery and administration of residential property insurance.
Principal operating subsidiaries include Wellington Risk Insurance Agency, a managing general agency, Wellington Claim Service, and Wellington Premium Finance, (collectively, Wellington).
“We are excited and fortunate to be partnering with Aquiline. Aquiline’s deep industry knowledge, operating expertise and broad network will help further strengthen our current capabilities and allow us to better serve the needs of our carrier and distribution partners and our policyholders,” says Paul
Chinese technology and investment group Cocoon Networks is launching a GBP500 million (USD720 million) London-based venture capital fund aimed at investing in UK and European tech startups.
Cocoon Networks, which has the backing of China Equity Group, one of the first investors in to Baidu, China's answer to Google, and Hanxin Capital, which specialises in cloud computing and bio tech investments, will look to invest in tech companies whose products and services show promise and potential for growth in the Chinese market.
The fund will look to invest in tech companies across a wide range of sectors including fintech,
Noerr has advised the group Veolia on the purchase of Nuon Energie und Service. A team from Noerr’s Energy Group led by the Berlin partners Dr Tibor Fedke and Dr Christoph Spiering, and the Düsseldorf real estate specialist Christoph Brenzinger acted for Veolia.
Nuon Energie und Service, which has to date been held by Vattenfall, operates the Niederau Industry Park in Düren and is the owner and operator of Bizzpark Oberbruch, an industry park in Heinsberg near Cologne. Veolia supplies both locations with electricity, gas, water and steam, and arranges waste management. This acquisition contributes to the strategic development of
Ipes is providing administration services to Gilde Buyout Partners, a leading European Private Equity firm, to support the closing and ongoing administration of Gilde Buy-Out Fund V.
The fund closed at the hard cap of EUR1.1 billion in November 2015. Ipes performs all outsourced administration services to the fund including one General Partner and two feeder funds administered from offices in Luxembourg and Guernsey.
Koos Teule, Director Investor Relations and CFO of Gilde Buy Out Partners, says: “we are very pleased to be working with Ipes. They understand our funds, provide timely information and reports and we can highly
Cordium, a provider of compliance consulting, accounting, tax and software to the financial services industry, is evolving its EMEA compliance offering to a tiered services model.


With a focus on improving the choice, quality, efficiency and consistency of their service to clients, Cordium’s EMEA compliance offering will now be structured according to four tiers. These range from Cordium Classic, which is the firm’s current service level, with the addition of three new service levels – Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. 

For all levels, Cordium provides comprehensive compliance infrastructure and methodology, hosted within their proprietary software programme (Cordium Pilot).
Investec Growth & Acquisition Finance has supported the successful acquisition of EnServe Group by Rubicon Partners and Grovepoint Capital.
EnServe is a leading provider of infrastructure support services to the utilities sector, operating principally in the UK. It was acquired during December 2010 by Cinven and today comprises three divisions: Electricity, Utility Services and Analytics. The Group works in partnership with a large number of commercial, public and utility organisations, operating from more than 30 locations across the UK and employing 1,650people.
EnServe had a group turnover of circa GBP200 million in the year ending 30 April 2015. Its
Private equity firm Vista Equity Partners has acquired Fiverun, an specialist in the mobile point of sale (mPOS) arena. Together with Vista’s December acquisition and merger of software leaders MarketLive and Shopatron, the addition of Fiverun will create a unified omnichannel commerce solutions company called Kibo.
Fiverun is best known for its experience reinventing in-store commerce through cloud-based solutions built on the most advanced technology in the world. The company provides innovative and scalable solutions to multinational retailers and brands, allowing for new features and capabilities that extend a retailer’s existing systems.
The merger of Fiverun, MarketLive, and Shopatron
Imperial Innovations Group has committed GBP24.75 million to the new UCL Technology Fund, the first investment fund that UCL (University College London) has established to commercialise its multidisciplinary research.
Over the next five years the fund is expected to invest up to GBP50 million to support ideas from academics in life sciences and physical sciences, and will be used for early-stage proof of concept funding, licensing opportunities and the formation of new spin-out companies.

As a limited partner (LP), Innovations has committed GBP24.75 million to the Fund, matched by a commitment in the same amount from the European Investment Fund.
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
