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Van Dijk Educatie (VDE), the Netherlands’ largest provider of learning materials, has teamed up with TowerBrook Capital Partners to accelerate its national and international growth strategy.
The British-American investment fund acquired the majority of shares in the education company Van Dijk on terms that have not been disclosed.
VDE has a turnover of EUR303 million (2016) and plays a leading role in the learning materials market for the secondary and higher education. VDE works with more than 780 educational institutions in the Netherlands and Belgium with a total of over 1.3 million pupils and students. In the past school
Fortress Investment Group is to acquire a significant portion of a EUR17.7 billion portfolio of non-performing Italian loans from UniCredit.
At closing, the UniCredit transaction will represent the largest ever non-performing loan (NPL) transaction in Europe.
Fortress began investing in Italian loans and loan servicing in 2000, with its investment in Italfondiario, which was subsequently transformed from a mortgage bank into a specialised loan management company.
Fortress’s other major transactions include its acquisition in 2005 of EUR13 billion in NPLs from Intesa banking group, and in 2015 the acquisition of specialised servicer UniCredit Credit Management Bank (renamed doBank).
Law firm White & Case has advised The Smithfield Group, managing shareholder of Innovia Group, on the CAD1.13 billion (EUR810 million) sale of Innovia to CCL Industries.
Innovia is a specialist in polymer banknotes and the producer of the UK’s new GBP5 note, which caused controversy when it was revealed that it contains small amounts of tallow.
The transaction is subject to regulatory and other change of control approvals and customary completion procedures, with closing expected by the end of the first quarter of 2017.
“We advised The Smithfield Group on its acquisition of Innovia in 2014, and
An affiliate of private equity firm Gemspring Capital has made an investment in United Group Programs (UGP), a designer, marketer and administrator of healthcare benefit products and services.
Financial details of the investment have not been disclosed.
UGP was founded in 1968 and is both a third-party administrator and managing general agent of healthcare benefits. The company offers specialty products and services that are sold through an extensive broker network to small and mid-sized businesses.
The primary insurance products offered by the company include gap, limited medical, minimum essential coverage and self-funded major medical.
“UGP has a
EuroMena has held the second and final closing of its third fund EuroMena III for a total consideration of USD150 million.
The fund also held the first advisory committee meeting of EuroMena III in London at the headquarters of one of its major limited partners, the CDC Group.
EuroMena attracted first-time international investors to its third fund such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the German Investment and Development Corporation (DEG), and the UK’s Development Finance Institution (CDC Group) in addition to third and second time investors such as the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French Public Wealth
LeapFrog Investments has sold part of its stake in IFMR Capital to Standard Chartered Private Equity.
The exit comes on the heels of a similar sale by LeapFrog to Fidelity’s Eight Road Ventures in November.
Standard Chartered intends to invest up to USD50 million, with the first tranche of USD17 million already completed. LeapFrog remains a leading shareholder and backer of the enhanced business.
“IFMR Capital is a remarkable firm that is uniquely extending the footprint of financial inclusion in India,” says Michael Fernandes, partner and co-leader of LeapFrog’s Asian investments. “The level of financial innovation and delivery
Global investment bank GCA Altium has advised Piper and the company founders on the sale of Loungers, the UK café-bar and restaurant group, to Lion Capital in a deal worth GBP137 million.
This marks GCA Altium’s 35th transaction in the consumer and retail space since 2014, adding to deals such as Prezzo and New Look.
Loungers is a fast-growing business founded in Bristol in 2002 by a trio of longstanding friends, Alex Reilley, Jake Bishop and Dave Reid. Their idea was to provide customers with a ‘third space’ between work and home to meet, chat, eat and drink –
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, a Tokyo-based venture capital firm specialising in electronics, healthcare and technology investments, has joined Kyriba Corp’s Series D funding round.
Kyriba, a provider of cloud-based treasury, cash, and risk management solutions, has more than 50 clients in Japan, including marquee clients Konica Minolta, Nissin Foods, and Suntory.
Muneki Handa, president of Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, says: “We have invested in Kyriba, who have built a scalable cloud-based platform with deeply integrated bank connectivity, payments, risk management, and supply chain finance. This architecture is a key differentiator for Japanese and worldwide organisations, and drives strategic advantages for organisations
HarbourVest Partners has promoted three new managing directors – Ryan Gunther, Senia Rapisarda, and Kelvin Yap – and 13 new principals and senior vice presidents.
These promotions recognise team members whose expertise contribute to the success of HarbourVest and its clients across the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
“HarbourVest’s greatest assets are the people who walk in the front door each morning,” says Peter Wilson, managing director, HarbourVest. “This latest round of promotions – at all levels – showcases the Firm’s continued investment in our team and recognises their focus on using specialised expertise to drive results for our
Advent International has agreed to sell its 93.29 per cent interest in Devin, a producer and distributor of bottled water in Bulgaria, to Spadel, a European family-owned company specialising in the production of natural mineral water, spring water and natural fruit drinks.
The transaction values Devin at a EUR120 million enterprise value and is subject to the approval of the Bulgarian Commission for Protection of Competition.
Founded in 1992 and based in Sofia, Devin bottles and sells a wide range of products including mineral water, spring water and table water. Together with its national network of distribution partners, the
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